Naruko Uzumaki
by INK-belle
Summary: About our hyper idiotic blonde if he was a girl! So you know it will make sense!... well sorta but read!
1. Naruko Uzumaki!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my thoughts!

Chapter 1: Naruko Uzumaki

_Having defeated the demon, the brave shinobi died._

_That shinobi was the fourth hokage, the fire shadow, the champion of the hidden leaves._

A gentle breeze blew through the hidden leaf making two blond tiny pigtails sway softly. Dangling from rope's on a mountainside a grin bearing petite girl giggled to herself. "This Is So Cool!" wiping some black paint on her already black baggy tank top she grinned at her biggest prank ever.

"LORD HOKAGE!"

Sighing the hokage turned away from his now ruined scroll to the panicking shinobi. "Yes? What is it some new outrage by Naruko I presume?" the ninja nodded furiously "She's defacing the mountain side images of all the heroes of our village your honoured predecessors!" "IN PAINT!" another shinobi pressed both wearing furious and bewildered looks. With a final huff he placed his hat on his balding head and turned to the door muttering about getting a lock before closing it behind him.

"Enough with the stupid pranks!" an angry spectator yelled in anger. "Grow the heck up Naruko!" "Your in so much trouble when they catch you! You know that!" "Your a little trouble maker!" the crowd yelled trying to scold but to Naruko it all became one big hum. Grinning to herself she swung around splashing paint as she did this.

"WANNA-BE'S SHUT UP" looking down at the crowd with an evil grin she laughed. "None of you have what it takes to do something this low! I rule and you drool!"

The hokage walked into the crowd and at Naruko's last comment he frowned up at the blond haired girl. "How dare you? Who do you think you are?" people around him hushed and whispered some smiled knowing that Naruko would get in trouble.

Appearing in a puff of smoke Iruka was gritting his teeth in annoyance. "Lord hokage.. I can't apologize enough..." Iruka drew in a long breath as the hokage squinted his old eyes at the new arrival. "Oh Iruka is that you?"

As Naruko was putting the finishing touches on her master piece the air was quiet and the air around her rumbled. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING YOU DITZ? GET DOWN FROM THERE AND GET BACK TO CLASS!" The aftershock of the yell made her jump also making the rope she was hanging from bounce. The paint in her hand sloshed and splat everything around her. "Master Iruka! I'm screwed!" Turning around her hand accidentally let go of the paint can whizzing towards the group below. She watched with a stifled laugh as it landed on Iruka's head that was now red head to toe in anger and paint "YOU DITZ!"

Tied up, Naruko sat at the front of the class for all her classmates to see. Narrowing her eyes she snorted in anger at her teacher and at the bored looking students who either snickered or looked at her in irritation. She looked away from her snarling teacher in a final defiance. Getting fed up Iruka pointed down at her an angry red tick appearing on his temple. "Tomorrow all your classmates will pass the final and graduate from the ninja academy, But the last **two** times this day came around, you flunked every course you'd taken in the secret arts!" stopping to catch his breath and glare even deeper he continued. "And You Chose Now For Your Stupid Tricks? You Ditz!" Huffing in annoyance she rolled her eyes at her overly dramatic teacher "Whatever". Iruka turned around at his other students surprising some of them out of their sits from his snapped expression. "TODAY IN CLASS WE'LL BE REVIEWING THE ART OF TRANSFORMATION" "WHAT?" all of his students said in unison even the tied up Naruko who was banging her feet on the ground in an almost tantrum. "All you have to do is conjure a form that looks like me!"

Naruko stood in line waiting for her turn, hands in her baggy orange jacket that hung off her shoulders lazily the collar up hiding the side of her chin. "Next up is Uzumaki" Iruka called making her look up with a frown. "Why can't you act like a normal girl?" someone said from behind her making her growl low in her throat. "Yeah, yeah, yeah!" she dragged her feet as she made her way towards Iruka eyes on the ground. _"Act like a girl huh?" _She thought as a mischievous smile shown on her tanned features. "Well here goes nothing..." she touched the goggles on her head before they clapped in front of her in a hand sign."CHANGE!"

The smoke cleared to a giggling beauty with tied back black hair and a scar running across her nose. The only thing she wore was black and green underwear with the smoke still barely covering her. Iruka gawked at his Mirrored female image. Blood dripped from his nose as he continued to gawk. "GAAAAH!" was the last noise Iruka made before he shot back from his enormous nose bleed. Naruko changed back clutching her stomach as she pointed at Iruka "HaHaHa! How do you like my new jutsu? I call it my sexy jutsu Iruka style!" Ruining Naruko's fun Iruka got back up with bloody tissue sticking out of his nose eyes menacing. "HOW BIG A DITZ ARE YOU?" Naruko stood in his yelling wind with half her face in her collar glaring at Iruka. "You waste all your time and talent inventing these stupid tricks!"

Naruko scrubbed lazily at the paint she had left now wishing she didn't put so much on now. Jacket tied around her small waist she glared at the wash cloth in her hand as if it was the source of her misery. "You don't leave here until every drop of paint is gone" Iruka said arms crossed with a voice with authority. Either way Naruko didn't care and looked up from her cloth "So? It's not like I have anyone waiting at home for me!" realizing what she said she quickly looked back down with an annoyed look "so hah!" she added lastly. But it was too late Iruka saw it the hidden pain she kept only for herself and no one else.

"Naruko..." Catching her attention she narrowed her eyes at her master "what now?" a couple drops of sweat slide down the sides of her face. Eyes looking anywhere but her face Iruka scratched his cheek with a blush "how about once your finished I buy you a bowl of ramen?" These were Naruko's magic words as her face lit up with a happy glow. "YEAH! Don't worry I'll have this cleaned up in no time!" Iruka had to smile at the now bubbly girl's willingness for work.

They sat at the ramen stand snapping their chopsticks apart to dig in. Iruka watched the small girl beside him devour the ramen with a sweat drop. _"How can she eat so much she's one of the smallest in my class"?_ Looking down at his own ramen a thought popped up in his head. "Naruko..?" looking at her master with leftovers still hanging out of her mouth she acknowledged him. "Hmm?" "Why did you choose of all places that spot to deface? I mean you do know who the hokages are right?" he asked trying to make her see what she just did was wrong. Naruko only swallowed and gave Iruka a strange look. "Of course I know. Being hokage mean you were the best shinobi in the entire village" she made a serious look after swallowing her food. "The fourth hokage saved the village from the fox demon by finding a way to defeat it" eyes becoming glazed over with admiration. Iruka nodded his head in understanding "ok then.. But **why?**"."Because one of these days they'll be calling me lady hokage" with a big grin Naruko turned and pointed her chop sticks at her master. "I'm going to pass everyone who came before me! And when that day comes everyone's going to give me respect at last! Believe it!" Iruka was surprised at the least not at her notion but at the certainty that was carried in her voice, her confidence.

Looking up at her master with big blue sparkling eyes Naruko clutched her hands together in front of her chest. "Umm master can I ask you a favour?" "You want another bowl? Wow for a girl-" "Can I wear your head band?" she cut him off before he said anything that would make her mad and never ask again. "Oh this? Nope sorry not yet, it's a badge of adulthood you don't get one until you graduate" "Awe Man! You're not fair Master Iruka!" "Is that why you took off your goggles?" "I want another bowl of ramen!"

"For your final exam you must generate a dopple ganger! wait here until your name is called than come next door" Iruka announced eyes sweeping everyone in the room staying a half a second longer on Naruko.

When Iruka left the room Naruko threw her hands over her head as it connected painfully against the hardwood desk. _"Why'd it have to be that one? That's my worst technique!" _

As she walked into the room she looked longingly at the rows of headbands easily imagining herself wearing one. "Well here goes nothing! BEHOLD A PERFECT DOUBLE!" as the smoke cleared Naruko quickly tried to step in front of the disfigured clone who gurgled than tried to smile. "Ah let me redo-" "YOU FAIL!" Iruka looked furious as he called in the next person in while Mizuki gave Naruko a sympathetic look.

Under the shady tree Naruko watched as families congratulated her classmates with big smiles. "Good job sweetie dad's so proud" "Now we're all adults!" "Good job graduate moms gonna cook up a feast tonight!" watching with envy Naruko put on her goggles unbenounced to her two women were watching her whispering things to one another about her.

The crunch of gravel beneath her feet was the only sound she heard not comforting at all. Remembering the many times when she was smaller why she took this way home when she was sad was beyond her. "Naruko" looking back startled "Master Mizuki!" she recognized who it was by the white head of hair. He smiled softly making Naruko blush in embarrassment "Do you want to come see my favourite place in the whole village?" Naruko didn't say anything but look up at the man in complete wonder than nodded her head.

Later that night an orange clad figure snuck against a wall of the hokages house trying to find a way in. "What do you think you're doing in my house in the middle of the night?" Naruko froze mid step as the old man's voice went deep and frightening making a cold shiver go up her spine leaving only dread in her body. Looking back with a nervous smile and a sweaty face she put her hands behind her back innocently. "Oh nothing just- SEXY JUTSU IRUKA STYLE!"

She searched high and low when she finally found her prize and crazy smile appeared on her face after going through such sneaky tactics just to get this of course she was going to be happy. Rolling the giant scroll back up she placed it on her back and ran for the forest her mind dead set on her task.

Finally making it to the clearing in the middle of the forest she took off her jacket glad she brought her orange shorts instead of her jumpsuit pants. Blond pigtails bounced as she jumped up and down excitedly "Yeah! I got it! Believe it! Now let's see what's first". Sitting down with the open scroll her smile faded "Dopple gangers? Awe man! My least favourite technique and suddenly it's turning up everywhere!"

The hokage called all the available shinobi to find the missing valuable scroll. Many yelled that this was the last straw while Iruka stood in the back of the crowd not really believing that this was actually happening. Pulled from his doubts the hokage spoke "This scroll was forbidden by the very first hokage, in the wrong hands it could be very dangerous. We **must **find that scroll" "SIR!" everyone said in unison before disappearing in black blurs. Iruka stopped to look around on one of the buildings breathing heavily "That ditz! Where she go" seeing the forest an idea came to his mind and off he was again heading towards the forest.

Naruko sat resting from her endless training not noticing the shadow that slowly approached her. "Gotcha" an equally tired Iruka slightly crouched in front of her giving her a scary stare. Not bothered Naruko smiled and got up pointing at him excitedly. "Bout time I found you nose bleed!" "NO YOU DITZ I FOUND YOU!" letting out a sigh Iruka stared at Naruko strangely. Did she really not know she's in trouble? Casually scratching the back of her head Naruko smiled awkwardly. "Heh I guess you did. You move so fast I only got to memorize one technique" Iruka looked more closely her, pigtails were trying to come undone scratches and dirt almost covered her body. "You look exhausted, what have you been doing?" he asked genuinely curious. I've been training cause Master Mizuki said if I master everything in this scroll than you'll let me graduate! He also told me about this place. But then you came I don't know what it is but you always seem to find me" Naruko scratched her whiskered cheek in thought. Iruka stared in dread as he soaked in the information. _"Mizuki?"_ suddenly aware a noise from above broke him out of his realization and instinct kicked in.

Naruko got the wind knocked out of her as she was hit in the stomach by Iruka who got in a cheap shot. During the decent to the ground her ties that held her pigtails together snapped making her chin length hair fall everywhere in a shaggy mop. Looking up from her own pain she seen Iruka suddenly pinned to the wall of the cabin in the forest being held in place by multiple kunai. Looking up from where the barrage of kunai came from stood Mizuki. "Whoa! Man what was that? What's going on?" she looked back and forth at the injured Iruka and smirking Mizuki. "Naruko give me the scroll I can teach you what it all means" Mizuki held his hand out expectantly. "DON'T DO IT NARUKO THAT SCROLL IS VERY DANGEROUS! MIZUKI ONLY USED YOU TO GET IT!" with a gasp Naruko glared up at Mizuki who only smirked evilly down at Naruko's master "You know what happened twelve years ago when the demon fox was sealed away Naruko? After that incident the whole village was swore to a decree..." Naruko looked up at the change of subject but went along with it. "I don't remember any decree" Mizuki chuckled under his breath making her shake involuntarily. "Course you wouldn't part of the decree was that everyone would know but you" "What? Why not me? What are you talking about?" she tried to push further but he only laughed more making her even more impatient. "SHUT UP YOU FOOL!" Iruka's words went unheard as Mizuki looked up at Naruko making her gasp in surprise. "That decree was that no one must ever tell you, that you Naruko Uzuimaki are the demon fox!" Her eyes went wide as she took a step back shaking her head "What are you talking about?" she yelled frantically looking at both hands than at him. "In other words you are the spirit of the nine tailed fox that destroyed the village! It was you who killed Iruka's family!" "STOP IT!" Iruka futilely tried again but was again unheard as Mizuki only spoke louder. "You were bound in this form by the hero fourth hokage! Being made a fool by everyone. If he were honest the great noble Iruka would admit he hates you to!" distracting her Mizuki spun out his shurikun and readied to throw it. While Naruko held back more tears as a gust of power enveloped her making her into one giant anger spit fire. "No one will ever accept you!" Mizuki's last words died out.

_"Naruko from the moment you were born you were shunned by the entire village. You never knew a parents love. The best you could hope for was attention not love and you could only get that by getting into trouble and you didn't care about what anybody said as long as someone was paying attention to you." _An image of a cheeky Naruko flashed through his mind. _"Nyah, nyah master Iruka!" _

_"It was a brilliant performance Naruko... but it was all a sham to hide your loneliness... and __**pain**__"_

Knocked on her side Naruko felt wetness on her cheek and looked up. Iruka's face was contorted into a grimace teeth clenching together in pain. To afraid to move Naruko stay in her place tears threatening to fall. Iruka didn't open his eyes only stay still. "W-Why?" she shakily asked after finding her voice from what seemed like hours. "...I..." Iruka shakily made the single word with difficulty.

_"With my parents gone there was no one to praise or respect me ...I was so lonely... I became the class clown__...__ anything to get attention. I just wanted someone to notice how good I was... To be proud of me. Being the class clown... was still better than being a nobody._

A small boy with a black ponytail sat in the corner of an empty house.

_It... Hurt so much._

"I know that, Naruko I was so hard on you, yelling, scolding... It must have hurt..." Tears slide down Iruka's cheeks onto the surprised Naruko. "Forgive me if I've been a better teacher... a better self... Maybe neither of us would have come to this" a shadow hid her eyes as Naruko turned around and ran away from the truth away from the guilt away from everything.

Pulling the giant windmill shurikun from his back Iruka didn't look at the evil shinobi. "She's going to get revenge on the whole village now for what everyone's done to her you seen those eyes, they were the eyes of a demon" Iruka still didn't turn back only huffed in exhaustion. "You... don't know ...Naruko at all" "I don't have to know her to kill her!"

Back at the village the hokage sat with a pair of seriousness as he looked into his crystal ball. "Mizuki how could you do such a thing to poor Naruko. I have to find her"

Running from branch to branch Iruka slowed when he caught up to a familiar black tank top. "Naruko quickly give me the scroll that all that Mizuki's after" Bursting off the tree Naruko collided with Iruka's stomach head-on completely knocking him off and towards the ground."Heh how do you know I wasn't Iruka?" another cloud of smoke appeared where Naruko once was now an injured hunched Iruka was a smug grin. "Because I'm him" Mizuki smiled as well but a lot more smug. "Iruka how noble of you saving your parents murderer for what? What would to happen if we let him live?". "Then maybe the scroll is safer from a complete scum bag" he snarled. Mizuki let out a low chuckle and a shake of his head "Me and Naruko are two of a kind"

From behind a nearby tree Naruko listened as they talked hugging the scroll close to her chest in an old habit. "Two of a kind?" "That's right we both hunger power. The demon in her especially you were right to fear her, despise her." Everything was quiet and Naruko took that as confirmation that he agreed with Mizuki. _"__So master does blame me for what happened" _guilt made her clutch the scroll closer. "It's true I hate the demon but not Naruko. Never Naruko she's a good student and I respect her". Hiding her face in her arms Naruko sobbed quietly.

"Awe how touching look at you almost dying and still want to defend her" Mizuki whipped out a weapon and charged letting his guard down. "Goodbye Iruka!".

Very thing was in a blur when Naruko showed up surprising both chunins with her speed and strength. She rolled into a ball knocking Mizuki off course and letting go of his weapon. "You touch my Master you die!" "Ha I'll kill you with one hit!" "Oh yeah?" in a puff of smoke hundred more giggling blondes appeared behind her hair down orange shorts black tank tops with evil grins. "Well I'll return every hit a hundred times worse!" both men opened and closed their mouths almost like fish. "Well if you're not going to move I will!" She charged forward signalling the others behind her to copy her.

A beaten up Mizuki after Naruko crouched beside his body poking his side with a stick. "Umm I think I over did it" smiling she scratched her whiskered cheek with a fox like grin. "Naruko come here" doing what she was told Naruko sat in front of Iruka with big blue eyes of curiosity. "Close your eyes" slightly taken back Naruko looks around for a way out not wanting to be hit across the head for stealing the scroll. Seeing none she sighed and closed her eyes tightly knuckles turning white as she was expecting a hit from her teacher. "Open your eyes" Iuka's blurry smiling face made her relax but once she noticed the missing head band her hand unconsciously touched her forehead fingers coming in contact with metal. "Congratulations... Graduate"

There my first fanfic I love Naruko!


	2. Konohamaru

Disclaimer: I own nothing this is Masashi kishimoto's work

Chapter 2: Konohamaru!

The village hidden in the leaves... where today one young woman begins her quest to become a full-fledged ninja.

"You... want me to take a picture of you looking like that?" An old photographer asked the strange twelve year old.

"YEAH GO FOR IT!" she yelled excitedly.

"Okay but your going to regret it" throwing the black cloth over his head. "Say cheese" the old man grumbled. "GRRRR!"

The hokage looked down at the absurd picture of Naruko covered in makeup markings making a "boss" face. In front of him sat the culprite smiling eagerly like she just made a proud achievement. "Well old man what ya think? the expression was hard so it took me three hours to get it right!" she leaned back into her chair. "I mean it's not like something ordinary would do!..." pointing to herself to make a point she didn't notice the hard stare he was giving her. "But with my artistic vision!-" "do it over" The hokage placed the picture down and stared at her.

"Say What?" "What concerns me most is that you weren't wearing your headband in your picture". Sitting back down Naruto folded her arms over her chest in a pout "I didn't want to scratch it I'll start wearing after the ceremony tomorrow". He didn't say anything further only shake his head in disapproval at the stubborn blonde.

Naruko opened her mouth in attempt to argue but was interrupted by a loud slam of the door. "ON GAURD OL' MAN! RIGHT?" Said old man crouched lower into his chair bringing his hat down to shadow his eyes _"If it's not one thing it's another"._ She watched with almost mild fasination as the boy made it half way across the room.

"Whats He Gotten Into This Time!" A circled shades wearing shinobi skidded to a stop just outside the door not realizing he stepped on the tiny childs scarf. With a loud thud, the boy hit the ground head first groaning. _"What the heck?"_ the usually hyper blonde thought. Rubbing his forehead, his gaze fell on Naruko who took note that he now had a missing tooth, probably from the fall.

"YOU! You tripped me didn't you?" A tick appeared on the blondes head. If there was one thing she did not like, it was being blamed for things that she never did. "I didn't do anything moron! you fell over your own feet!" Surprising everyone she had him by the front of his collar with an annoyed look. "Naruko Uzumaki! unhand him! that boy happens to be the grandson of our revered lord, the third hokage!" the boy in her grasp smirked at her pause. "Whats wrong blondie? I thought you were going to hurt me?" she shook slightly, noticing this the boy's smirk deepened. _"They all do this once they find out I'm the hokages grandson..."_ her teeth clenched and unclenched in anger. _"To afraid of me just like master four eyes over there, and everyone else in town... Hah!"._

"Like I Care! Stupid!" The angry blonde slammed her fist into the boys head. Both surprised and hurt the eight year old gazed up at the glaring blonde in awe.

From behind the two the hokage covered his face with one hand as a sigh escaped his lips. "WHAT?" four eyed master tried to comprehred what had just happened but only looked like a fool as his mouth fell open and closed like a fish.

She knew he was following her, that boy just wasn't quiet when it came to sneaking. "I know your there idiot! Stop following me!" finally being fed up she sharply turned around pointing right at him. Dropping the fence disguise that was horizontile instead of parallel. The creepy boy smirked "Heh so you managed to penetrate my disguise right? I would expect no less from the future wife of the future hokage" he puffed out his chest in pride.

Ignoring what the dumb kid just said she turned around, walking away "I've done what I'm suppose to do today I'm going home!". "Wait I wanted you to teach me that trick of yours!" suddenly interested she stopped and narrowed her eyes at the kid. "Trick?" "Yeah your ninja centerfold!" her eyes widened in shock. "Dude your a boy!" "oh come on master!" Konohamaru pushed. "Master?" rubbing her none existant chin hair she smiled "heh you know? I think I like the sound of that... Master Uzumaki... alright kid I'll teach it to ya believe it!" Naruko flashed him a fox like smile. "Also if we spend lots of time together we'll fall in love!" "NO!" SMACK! "OWW!".

"GAHH WHERE THAT BOY GET OFF TO NOW!" the shades wearing Ebisu yelled. "It appears he's followed Naruko" the hokage answered cooly.

"Naruko? Thats Awful!" off in a mad sprint Ebisu went to track down his important charge. Leaving the hokage to his thoughts _"That boy is to over indulged... But knowing Naruko she might drag him into some kind of hair brained scheme"_

"READY!... CONSENTRATE!... GO!" "BEHOLD!". Once the smoke had cleared Naruko fell over onto her side twitching slightly. In a very erotic pose stood a very heavy girl cheeks puffy with a few patches of hair missing here and there. "NOO! TALLER SKINNIER! YOUR A GUY YOUR SUPPOSE TO KNOW WHAT TYPES OF GIRLS YOU LIKE!".

After a few hours a searching Ebisu and an accomplished Naruko later.

A whiskered blonde sat beside a dehydrated boy chuckling as he coughed from drinking to fast. "Hey whats your beef with the old man?" genuinly interested Naruko rested the side of her face into one hand. Looking at her over his water bottle the eight year old let his head drop between his legs not wanting to look her in the blue eyes. "My names Konohamaru... my grandfather named me after the village, he thought it would bring me good luck. People know thats my name but they never use it, It's always "Honored grandson" bringing his chubby hands infront of his face Konohamaru balled his hands into tiny fists. "They don't see me for who I am... only who I'm related to and I hate it. But it's gonna be different real soon after I become the hokage".

Naruko's eyes hardened "No way who'd respect a hokage like you?" Konohamaru's eyed snapped to her with surprise "hunh?". "It's to big a name for such a little guy" her voice was smooth and to the point but he heard it, the vemon was sublte but it was there. "What?" Konohamaru couldn't believe he had just shared his secret to someone who didn't understand. He glared at the passive blonde beside him knuckles almost turning white. "You idiot, it won't be easy to get the hokage name... It isn't something you get just because you want it, if you want to become hokage that badly..." Konohamaru was now standing teeth grinding in anger. "Well? What?" there was a long silence that felt like hours. He almost jumped back when Naruko's head whipped back up giving him a sinester smile. "You'll have to get past me first!"

(Emo alert! WARNING FOR THOSE WITH NO HEARTS!)

Back at the hokage tower Iruka landed behind the third hokage with a bright smile. "Lord hokage I've been looking all over for you" "Hello Iruka" the aged shinobi answered already knowing who it was. "Has Naruko submitted her Ninja registration?" "yes" "okay good i gave her a lecture over a bowl of ramen last night, She's been on cloud nine since she graduated" Iruka chuckled from the memory of a dazed Naruko who couldn't hold her chopsticks right. "she plans to become a full-fledged shinobi so everyone could give her respect" "Well that's going to be a hard dream for her to realize" "What?" Iruka said surprised by the hokage's cold answer. "Only we adults know the truth... that Naruko is the human form of the nine tailed fox that attacked our village a dozen years ago" clear memories filled the hokage's head. "disclosure of that secret is most strictly forbidden... under the pain of the severest penalty our law can inflict. as a result the children of the village know nothing of the truth... her secret is secure among her peers". Everything was quiet except for the hum of childern below where they stood. Iruka thought about the hyper active blonde the smile slowly fading at realization. "... It was the wish of the fourth hokage for everyone to regard her as savior a gaurdian of justice, the villages hero. He made his wish, sealed her fate... than died." Iruka listened with a growing depression. "He selected a new born child unbilical cord freshly cut, and bound up all nine tails of the fox within the infants navel. Naruko was sacrificed for the safety of us all, to become a living vessel for the imprisonment of the demon." "But it's not how the adults saw it, all they seen whenever they looked at her was the demon that terrorized them years ago now the mistreatment of the girl was passed onto their childern who have no idea of the truth... can you imagine Iruka?" flinching slightly Iruka looked at the hokage with studying eyes "imagine what lord hokage?" "to have so much hatred, animosity, hostile behavior towards you it's unbearable... to deny you even the right to exist..."

(Alright unshield your eyes!)

"THERE YOU ARE!" "EH?" Konohamaru jumped at the voice from above. Shades glinted in the sunlight giving Naruko a brief look at the eyes of Ebisu's glaring eyes. _"That look! That ugly look! It always has to be someone!"_ naruko stood up from her sit and glared back up at the man.

Landing gracefully from the high tree branch Ebisu landing a few feet away from Konohamaru. "And now honored grandson it's time to head home" "No way! i have to kick the old mans butt and become the next hokage! so get lost!". Naruko crossed her arms over her chest and shifting her wieght onto one leg Naruko nodded her head in agreement "you heard him loser." Walking forward Ebisu tried to reason with the stubborn child. "your grandfather is master over one thousand illusions only by- eh?" Catching his four eyed master off gaurd Konohamaru made the hands signs he spent hours learning. "CHANGE!"

Naruko coughed with a light pink tinting her cheeks. Konohamaru twirled very girly with short blond hair and blue eyes. Tall and skinny just like she taught him but he almost made an exact replica of her. "Well that kinda brings the ego down a bit..ahem!"

Ebisu just stood there jaw touching the dirty ground as Konohamaru changed back with a questioning stare. "It didn't work?" "WHAT A VULGAR DISPLAY! NOT FIT FOR A GENTLEMENS EYES!" Desperately grabbing the boys scarf Ebisu tried to drag Konohamaru away. "You cannot lower yourself to creatures such as her! honored grandson! only by following my instructions will you achieve the name as Hokage!".

Naruko's eyes were now shadowed at the statement both males infront of her unknown to the growing tension in the air.

"ART OF DOPPLE GANGERS!"

Making both look up from their struggling they were met with a crowd of Narukos some taking off their jackets and tying it around their waists as other simply glared. Smirking Ebisu crossed both arms infront of him "I'm not as weak as Mizuki-"

"CHANGE!"

Back at the hokage's office he sat hand on face in embarassment. "Naruko use's anything at her disposal I suppose..."

Everything around Ebisu went red as blood rushed to his face. Black haired beauties surrounded him in a sea of soft flesh. Some coyly taking off their shades to show sparkling brown eyes other hanging or clutching to his arms or legs wearing only black underwear. Ebisu's jaw dropped to the ground as a dibble of blood trailed it's way to his chin.

"Blast it! I failed to beat master four eyes! Right? All I want is a name everyone will respect! and I want it right now! RIGHT?"

THONK!

Konohamaru rubbed the top of his head and looked up at the glaring blond with tiny tears at the edges of his eyes. "Idiot you think wanting is all it takes? dream on!. We're talking about the hokage name here the most respected person in the whole village!... my life has been one rotten thing after another, I even doubted myself! the only person who treats me with any kind of respect and even he... was almost impossible to win over!" her serious eyes landed on the well Ebisu shot himself into and her gaze hardened. "Are you ready to make a commitment?" "commitment?" Konohamaru listened intently to the talking blond in fasination.

"Everyone, and I do mean everyone, has the highest respect for the hokage... it's not forced" konohamaru's gave her back a questioning stare when she turned around with a soft smile.

"Don't you get it? there are no short cuts!"

Konohamaru's eyes widened at realization. Naruko was about to walk away when the eight year old finally spoke up.

"Where do you get off lecturing me? right?" with his back to her now Naruko coudn't read him only stand in silence waiting.

"I'm not going to be your student anymore! from this day on we'll be arch rivals!".

Turning around the whiskered tomboy smiled at his toothy grin and walked towards him. Konohamaru watched with child like curiousity as Naruko bent forwards and placed a hand on his head ruffling his already poofy pony tail. "And one of these days we'll fight for the title of hokage-" "And the right for you to be my wife!" Konohamaru interrupted earning half a smile from the pretty blond. "We'll see" backing away Naruko turned around, back to him waving. "See ya around... Konohamaru!"

Konohamaru turned a beet red at the use of his name. Smilling shyly in embarassment he scratched the back of his head.

They had a long way to go, but as lord hokage watched over them and smiled.. he saw the dream, and challenges that lay ahead for the young rambunctious Naruko.

WOAH! It's already 4 am? and I'm not even tired! well anyway review! cause I have no life!


	3. Enter Sasuke!

Disclaimer: I own nothing story, characters, everything belong to original owner Kishimoto. I just like to imagine things.

Chapter 3: Enter Sasuke

Messy headed Naruko woke up with a content yawn. Looking over at the side of her bed to look at the retangular black alarm clock she groaned. "Well time to get ready.. I guess" lazily throwing her legs over the side of the bed Naruko stifled another yawn.

She sat at the table head nodding eyes trying to stay open. One of the many things Naruko wasn't, it was a morning person. Crunching on her toast Naruko drank her milk down with large gulps. Waking herself up more she placed her head under a tap of cold water golden locks instantly becoming curly. Taking one strand of it in her fingers her nose crunched up in disgust. "Yucky..."

Walking to get a towel she shook her head getting her overly sized button up shirt wet.

Tying her hair in her two ponytails she let a couple of strands of hair fall infront of her face they straightened out when they dried. Wearing her usual large jacket and shorts Naruko nodded to herself in her reflection. Not to girly also not to boyish but all practical. About to walk out her tiny apartment she was stopped by the glare of light from her forehead protector on her drawer.

"Naruko what are you doing here? this class is only for the people who didn't fail!" Naruko didn't remember who this kid was but he seemed familar. _"must have taken a class together or something"_ pointing to her new accessory on her forehead she smiled brightly. "What? can't you see my headband? certified Genin! believe it!".

"Excuse me can I pass?"

Both looking back the boy blushed and nodded his head quickly scurrying off to his sit. Naruko's eyes widened slightly _"Sakura? one of the most popular prettiest girls in my class wants to sit next to me?"_ "Naruko Move I'm Trying To Get Around You!" Sakura pointed in the direction of where she really wanted to sit. Following where she was looking her eyes fell on Sasuke. _"Hmph of course she would want to sit next him every other girl wants to just because he's a pretty boy"._ Naruko turned her head to answer Sakura's question but was only met with a bunch of bickering girls. Looking back at the class heart throb Naruko glared. _"Man I hate the moody type they always act better than you!"_

Feeling someone's eyes on him Sasuke turned his head to meet with glaring blue eyes. "Do you what something?" Naruko's glare deepened "I don't like you let's make that clear" turning her head back not caring about what he thought. "Go ahead **Sakura**" emphasising on her name to make sure none of the others would try to pass.

Without saying so much as a thank you Sakura squeeled and jumped into the spot next to Sasuke. This was bugging her to no end the people around her talked and laughed about random things. Looking up at the row behind two girls glared daggers in the back of Sakura's head. Looking closer Naruko almost jumped back from what looked like heart shaped eyes in Sakuras emerald colored orbs. _"I don't see anything special about him he's just another guy! so what do all the other girls see in him?"_

The next thing she did sure didn't get her any friends the with female population. Crouching on the desk in front of Sasuke, Naruko gave the Uchiha a critical stare.

Looking up at the intruder of his thoughts he glared. "I don't get it from far away to up close you look just like any other guy?" her eyes brow quirked in a questioing stare. "Do you mind? I don't want to catch idiot, it's bad for my health" than the scowling began.

"Naruko leave Sasuke alone!" Sakura screeched but Naruko didn't want to back down. "Get lost!" her answer was directed at Sakura but seeing as she was staring at the pale boy infront of her he was the one to take offence.

WHAP!

Suddenly a boy infront who was explaining how to aim threw his arm back "Make sure to-Hunh?".

Both Naruko and Sasuke stared eyed wide into eachothers eyes as their lips were locked. With an embarassing pop Naruko pulled away from Sasuke quickly rubbing her mouth with tears in her eyes. "You basterd! you stole my first kiss!"

SLAP!

"From this day forward you are no longer mere students of ninjutsu but full-fledged shinobi!" Iruka looked over his class, noticing a pouting Uzumaki, depressed Haruno, and a indifferent Uchiha with a red mark on his left cheek. Shaking his head he continued "But, among the ranks of the shinobi, you are mere novices, lowest of the low. your greatest challenges all lie ahead. we will begin into dividing you into three-man cells each of which will be monitored by a _Jonin_, a more senior ninja...who will guide and coach you with various assignments"

Ignoring his still stinging cheek Sasuke frowned _"three man cells? sounds like two too many..."_

Sakura pumped her fist with a determined look _"It's perfect! i know they'll team me up with Sasuke!"_

Naruko leaned into her cheek with a bored look _"Well I don't mind teamwork so long as it's not with Sasuke, but hey what are the chances of that happening?... Damnit I totally forgot I'm short on money for Ramen!"_

"I made the selections so that each cell's abilities would be equal." "WHAT!" all of the class screamed out in unsion. Ignoring the negative answer Iruka read out the teams only silent protests and groans could be heard from the childish class.

"Next, cell number seven. Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruko..." said girls looked at eachother with questioning looks. " and Uchiha Sasuke!" Naruko's head snapped forward infront of the class. Eyes wide with jaw on desk while Sasuke stiffened than scowled. "Master Why Put An Awesome Shinobi Such As Myself! With A Loser Who Steals Girls Kisses!" With the last sentence Naruko gave Sasuke a Menacing glare that if it could it would turn him inside out. Ignoring the blonde ditz Sasuke shook his head "two females and a male? looks like we'll be at a disadvantage... great" sarcasm threaded into every word he rolled his eyes.

"Naruko out of twenty-seven of you Sasuke had the best grades and you had the worst. The idea was to balance out your different strengths.. thats why you were paired together!". Naruko glared at Sasuke who only ignored her "Hn... just don't drag me down... **Ditz**" "GRRR! WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME? PERVERT!" Naruko was now standing up trying to get past Sakura to strangle the smirking Uchiha. "NARUKO DON'T BE SUCH A JERK!" Also getting up the pink haired peacekeeper held back the furious blonde from hurting her future husband.

Iruka sighed _"Meh! they'll work it out... even Naruko"_. Giving his class a hard stare he tried to win his class over. "I'll introduce the rest of you to your senior instructors until then your dismissed!".

Munching on a sandwich Naruko scowled. _"Damn! Sasuke's such a jerk... and Sakura... Well actually if Sasuke wasn't around we would probably be friends. But than again the chances of that happening is when Sasuke starts wearing makeup!"_ Smirking mischieviously she got a wickedly brillent idea.

The Uchiha sat alone eating leaning against a window sill. He never complained about not having company actually he liked it this way, never idiots to bug him and yell at him, just him and the silence. Deep in his thoughts Sasuke never noticed the rope that shot out and wrapped him. "WHAT THE HE-NARUKO?"

"SHH! KEEP IT DOWN IDIOT!"

"Ugh! i'm gonna need to take a bath after this.." stepping out Sasuke walked out casually.

Seeing Sakura the impursinating Sasuke stopped feeling like something was rotting in her stomach. _"Ugh! I feel like I'm going to throw up!" _one glance down at the body she knew why. _"Oh yeah... but I have to she wouldn't straight up tell me what she thinks about me... well she would but it wouldn't be nice"_

Noticing she wasn't looking the fake Sasuke plopped down next to Sakura scaring her out of her depressing thoughts. "Hn.. hey sakura.." "umm hey Sasuke..." Sakura was wringing her hands together in nervousness while blushing the imposture only rolled her eyes "Sakura I wanted to know... seeing as we're teammates... what do you think of Naruko?" looking up surprised Sakura let her head drop. "You like her don't you...?".

He snorted in digust, that was like asking if Naruko liked him. "hn there's nothing to feel towards that little jerk!" her answer was directed towards Sasuke but to the pink haired girl it was towards the little blonde idiot. "Yeah your right I'm sorry I shouldn't have asked..." everything was silent as Sakura tried to find the answer. "She get's in the way alot... I mean she has your attention... She's also really pretty so... I guess I'm threatened by her.." Naruko's eyes widened slightly. _"She's threatened by me?"_ "She doesn't understand me or my feelings.. the only person's opinion I value most is your's... Sasuke. I'd do almost anything to win your attention.. your respect, I'm desperate" Naruko looked up from her thoughts and noticed she had gotten closer. Guilt overwhelmed Naruko as Sakura tried to close the gap.

Blushing and surprised at the same time. Before Sakura could kiss him like she thought they were going to do he had grabbed her shoulders. Looking deep into her eyes she got a closer look into his jet black orbs. The emerald eyed girls heartbeat sped up as he smiled. "Wait here for a bit okay? I'll be right back"

Getting up and running away Naruko headed back to where she had left the tied up Uchiha.

Sakura watched as her almost first kiss ran off. "I almost kissed him!" realization sunk in as inner Sakura was bouncing up and down like a complete idiot. _"OH YEAH BABY! IT'S NOT TO LATE!"_

SLAM!

Naruko's jaw dropped as she seen no Sasuke only pieces of rope. the duct tape she used to shut him up and also a wet cloth that was covered in the make up she used on him. "Oh no!" off in a mad sprint to find the missing Uchiha she ignored the ugly bubbling in her stomach.

"Sasuke my sweet, old fashioned boy! I'm right here ready and waiting!" Sasuke only walked by her and stopped suspecting the blonde dummy to be around. "Recess is over... wheres that ditz Naruko?" She smiled nervously "Oh there you go changing the subject again can't we get away from Naruko for one second?". Placing both hands on her hips she shook her head "She always comes between us".

Ignoring her, he walked by knowing Naruko had been around for her to act this way.

"It's only because she was brought up badly"

After hearing that he looked at her from the corner of his eye stopping completely."You mean because she's never had any parents?"

Shrugging with a knowing smile she nodded "She doesn't have to answer to anyone and it's made her completely selfish! if I did the things she got away with, my parents would ground me for life!"

"Don't you envy her for being alone, not having parents nag you all the time?" his glared.

"Kids who grow up without families always grow up selfish!" she finally concluded.

"That, and lonely..." Sasuke didn't move but also didn't look at her. "Being scolded by your parents doesn't even compare..."

Naruko looked everywhere but the last place she left Sakura. Going back she seen the both of them talking him with his back to both of them. Suddenly scared she looked back and forth searching for a way out. Finding none she dived into the closest bush. About to sneak away she heard Sakura's shakey voice.

"..Wha...Whats gotten into you?"

"You... make me sick" he turned to give his pink haired teammate a hate filled glare. Not seeing the scowling blonde in the bushes. _"That jerk!... poor sakura"_ when Sasuke left Naruko followed not wanting to bother the depressed Sakura.

"Uchiha I have two things to say to you! First how did you get out of those ropes!" Sasuke smirked "Hn any good ninja is an escape artist.. try to keep that in mind **ditz**". Walking closer she poked his chest in an accusing manner "Second-" suddenly an ugly feeling came up. Sasuke stood their with an eyebrow raised as the loud blonde suddenly got quiet. "Whats wrong ditz? did you finally run out of things to say?". Not answering him Naruko swayed back and forth becoming paler and paler by the moment. He frowned at the blonde and grabbed her shoulder "Hey whats-"

BLAGH!

Sasuke's eye twitched as the blonde shook her head and wiped her mouth. "Ah! I feel a lot better now-" staring at a now bile covered Uchiha Naruko shook slightly.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"YOU IDIOTIC DITZ!"

"So this is Naruko's house, isn't it?" the one eyed shinobi picked up a carton and examined it closely. "yes" the hokage looked at him with blank eyes. _"Her milks expired" _"She's clumsy, but your the best choice to watch over her, you have a talent for sniffing things out. whats more, another member of your cell you shall over see will be Sasuke, of the uchiha clan. best of luck"

Turning away with a sweat drop he nodded his head. _"this will be a terrible mission, but..."_ "I'll do my best. lord hokage"

And another chapter done man i need a life! oh well this is just as fun! anyway review if you want to would be greatly appreciated and if we know eachother in real life don't mention this to me! I will deny it! oh and give me some ideas that you want I'll think of ways to fit them in the story!


	4. Kakashi Hatake!

Disclaimer:(jumps n does hero pose) "I... OWN... NOTHING!

Chapter 4 Hatake Kakashi

Tapping her foot on the ground Naruko grinded her teeth. Everyone knew the tomboyish blonde was impatient. Peeking her head out the door she let out a frustrated sigh _"I've been late before but this is ridiculous!"_. Checking outside for the one hundredth time she sighed.

"Naruko cut it out!" Sakura looked at her teamate in annoyance. "Why are we the only cell whose teacher hasn't shown up yet? Everyone else went with their teachers, even Iruka left!" she crossed her arms in a pout.

"Naruko what do you think your doing?" interested the stotic Uchiha looked up to see a giggling Naruko jamming an eraser in the sliding doorway. "Thats what he gets for making us wait" jumping off the desk she used to stand up on she grinned. "Oh grow up Naruko, I want no part in it!" "yeah? well no one asked you!" nothing Sakura said right now dampened her spirit. "Hn.. there's no way could a superior shinobi be caught by such a simple booby trap" Sasuke looked at the two from the corner of his eye.

**PH-LAF!**

The one eyed shinobi stood in mid step with his already silvery white head covered in chalk."HAHAHA! GOTCHA WITH A GOOD ONE!" Naruko pointed her new teacher laughing. "I'm sorry sensei, I tried stopping her but Naruko..." Wringing her hands infront of her face Sakura tried putting on her most guiliest look, but on the inside she was pumping her fist yelling_ "OH YEAH BABY! BRING EM UP THAN KNOCK EM DOWN!"_. While the only 13 year old boy in the room hid behind his hands embarassed _"This is our leader?... looks completely worthless"_

Rubbing his covered chin thoughtfully the masked jonin smiled behind his mask. "Hmm... how shall I put this? Based on my first impression, I'd have to say... I hate you".

Naruko narrowed her eyes in susipicion at her teacher while he looked back at them bored. "Now I'd like you all to tell us a little about yourselves". "Like what?" the pink haired girl asked with half a smile. "... you know the usual, your favorite thing, what you hate the most... hobbies, dreams, ambitions... things like that"

"Help us out here coach, you go first, show us how it's done!" the blonde of the group spoke up.

"Oh... me? My names Hatake Kakashi, I'm the kind of person who doesn't like to talk about his like's or dislikes! My dreams are none of your business... But anyway, I have lots of hobbies..."

Naruko gave her mysterious teacher a disappointed look. Both girls look at eachother with almost the same expression while Sasuke just stared into his hands.

"Okay so now it's your turn starting... with.. you on the right!" lazily pointing at the blonde who immediately sat up straight at the attention.

Smiling goofy she pointed to herself "Me right? My name is Uzumaki Naruko! what I like is instant cup ramen, what I like even better is when master Iruka treats me to a bowl at Ichiraku's noodle bar" a pretty blush graced her cheeks" Love it actually! I hate the three minute wait after I pour the boiling water..."

Kakashi's sweat dropped _"It seems all she thinks about is ramen."_

"My dream is..." placing both hands on her headband she continued. "...To one day be a better shinobi than the hokage, And then everyone will have to give me respect and stop looking down on me! Believe It!" the answer shocked Kakashi slightly who hid it well. _"My hasn't she turned out interesting..."_

She scratched her whiskered cheek in thought "And for hobbies... pranks and practical jokes, I guess"

Ruffling his hair Kakashi sighed. _"Come and go I suppose"_ "Next!"

"My name's Sasuke Uchiha, there are plenty of things I hate but I don't see how that matters, considering there is nothing I do like, It's seems pointless to talk about **dreams**, it's just a word..." His eyes turned cold as he contiued speaking. "... what I do have is a determination, I plan to restore my clan, and there is someone I have sworn... **to kill**"

The air around them blew in an almost sinister way. Sakura sat awe struck by the Uchiha while a pink shade almost matching her hair appeared on her cheeks _"so cool..."_. Naruko gulped nervously as her gazed searched anything that wasn't the Uchiha _"woah! I didn't know he was still mad at me for puking on him!"_. Kakashi narrowed his only good eye _"I suspected as much"_.

"And finally you on the left"

"My name is Haruno Sakura, My favorite thing is, well it's not a thing, it's a person, a boy... and that boy is..." she looked over at the stotic Uchiha with a faint blush. "Uh lets move on to my dream" putting her face in her hands to the deep red blush that appeared. She looked up with a disgusted look "I hate... Naruko"

"Hey! I've never done anything to you!"

"You stole Sasuke's first kiss!"

Her eyes became wide and distant at the unwanted memory. A very red Naruko was rocking back and forth pulling at her pigtails with tears streaming down her face muttering things that were incorherent. While a very bored looking Sasuke tried covering a tiny blush with his hands. Kakashi sighed and ruffled his hair again _"seems young girls are more interested in love, than ninjutsu"_

"Enough!"

Everyone looked up at their teacher who's attitude quickly changed.

"I believe we all understand one another, Formal training begins tomorrow!"

Straighening up and completely forgetting about what had happened earlier Naruko saluted "YES, SIR! WHAT WILL OUR DUTIES BE!" _"THIS IS AWESOME OUR FIRST REAL SHINOBI MISSION!"_

"Out first project involves only the members of this cell."

Still sitting Naruko bounced up and down impatiently "Well? what is it? tell us!"

"Survival exercise's" he answered with little emotion.

"Survival exercise's?" The blonde repeated over to mostly herself than anyone around her. Sasuke sat with a deepening frown.

"But why would that be a mission? our school days were full of survival exercise's!" remembering Naruko nodded her head fast pig tails hitting her face.

"This is different you'll have to survive... against me. It won't be your typical practice." Everyone still looked confused.

"Well then, what kind of practice will it be?"

Kakashi stifled what Naruko would put as a giggle.

Sakura narrowed her eyes in suspicion "What are you laughing about master Kakashi?"

"oh, nothing, it's just that... If I told you, you'd chicken out." he waved his hand infront of his face to cool himself down.

"Chicken out? Why?" Naruko's face was pulled into a questioning expression while on the inside she could feel something bad was coming.

"The test we are about to take has a 66% rate of failure." Kakashi's eyes went cold and distant as if in a horrible memory.

Naruko's jaw slacked with wide eyes "THIS SUCKS! WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH IT ALL! WHAT ABOUT OUR GRADUATION TEST?"

"Oh! we wanted to eliminate all the hopeless cases from your ranks, The one's who are left are the only students who show true protential." smiling behind his mask Kakashi shrugged "Anyway, we'll meet here tomorrow morning on the practice field so that I can evaluate each of your skills and weaknesses. bring all of your ninja tools and weapons... and don't have breakfast, unless you enjoy throwing up."

Almost on instinct Sasuke turned his head to give his blonde teammate a blank stare. "What? I said I was sorry, didn't I? STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT!"

All night Naruko practiced, diligently pummeling an effigy of her teacher...

The next day

"Good morning, class!"

Almost in mirror like poses Naruko and Sakura pointed at their teacher. "YOUR LATE!"

Placing a clock on a nearby stump Kakashi turned to his students. "I've set this alarm to go off at noon"

Reaching into his back pocket Kakashi pulled out two bells that were attached to string. "I have here two small bells... your challenge is to steal these from me before the timer sounds. Anyone who fails, doesn't get any lunch. instead you will be tied to that tree stump, so I can eat your lunch infront of you."

As if on cue everyone's stomach growled _"so thats why you made us go without lunch" _the three genin thought.

"All you need is just one bell... apiece. but since there just isn't enough to go around, one of you is diffinitely headed for the stump... and whoever that is will be the first of you to fail. one of you is on your way back to school... disgraced"

Nervously Naruko gulped.

"You may if you choose, use shuriken. Attack as though you mean to kill or you'll never stand a chance."

The only one worried in the under aged group Sakura stepped forward "But!... But thats to dangerous Kakashi sensei!"

Folding her arms in the back of her head in a relaxed manner Naruko grinned "You couldn't even dodge an eraser! You gonna get yourself killed!"

Kakashi stared blankly at the laughing blonde "Only the weak speak loudly. Now, lets forget the **Ditz**, and we'll start on my signal!"

Losing her usual sunny demeanor Naruko grided her teeth _"__**Ditz! Ditz! Ditz! Ditz! DITZ! DITZ!"**_

In fast fluid movements Naruko charged at her sensei kunai in hand.

**SMACK! **

**SHING!**

Suddenly turned around with her own Kunai dangerously close to the back of her neck. Naruko glared at her teacher with a sweatdrop. "Not so fast. I didn't say, "go".

All three of the genin awestruck by the quickness of their jonin teacher. _"Wow so fast I didn't even see him..."_

Sasuke smirked _"So this is an elite shinobi"_

"But at least you struck to kill... so, it seems you've begun to respect me." his dark chuckle made a shudder go up Naruko's body, but tried her best not to show it. "Maybe... just maybe... I'm starting to like you three... And now... Ready... Steady... GO!"

OKAY! The almighty awesome INK-BELLE! is actually having a hard time trying to replace a scene in the next chapter!. Instead of Naruko getting ass raped by her master Kakashi I want to put something either completely different but I also don't want to change it so far that it would actually wreck the image... REVIEW IT BE-OTCH'S!


	5. Pride Geeth Before A Fall

Disclaimer: I still own nothing!

Chapter 5 Pride Geeth Before A Fall

"The basis of shinobi arts is to become invisible... Eradicate yourself" scratching the back of his head out of nervousness the older jonin searched for his students. _"They've hidden themselves well"_

"YO! SCARECROW!"

Orange jacket discarded hair pulled back into a short ponytail Naruko gave a wide smile to her teacher. "IT'S TIME FOR THE MATCH TO BEGIN! LETS MAKE IT A REAL MATCH! WORTHY OF THE GREATEST WARRIORS!"

Kakashi sweat dropped as he stood facing his tiny opponent. "You maybe thinking of the wrong kind of match..."

"That fool..." Sasuke frowned at his idiotic teamate as she stood arms crossed with a big stupid smile.

Pushing off her right foot Naruko charged at the jonin, who only stared and reached in his weapon pouch. Noticing this she quickly came to a complete stop.

"Let me teach you... your first ninjutsu skill! Taijutsu the art of the trained body!" Still not looking at her Kakashi dug deeper until he finally found what he was looking for. Glaring daggers at her teacher Naruko readied herself for whatever he was going to throw. _"trained body? isn't that like fighting hand-to-hand?... than why is he going for a weapon?"_

Naruko almost face planted when Kakashi had taken out a book. _"make-out paradise?... what the heck?"_

"Whats wrong? I thought you were coming for me."he said, casually flipping threw the book.

"... But... You... I mean, I... I mean... why are you... That's A Book!" She pointed at the offending piece of literature.

"Of course it a book, I've been dying to find out how it ends. Carry on... it shouldn't make any difference in the outcome, considering who I'm up against."

Naruko stood looking at the strange man letting what he had just said sink in. "GRR! I'M GONNA FLATTEN YOU!"

Flying at him full speed Naruko used her back hand to try and hit only having Kakashi catch it easily while he read his book. Using the momentum from her back hand punch she swung upwards, Left leg coming up to collid with the now blushing jonin's head only to met nothing but air Naruko landed on her feet. Looking down she seen a hand coming straight for her face. Closing her eyes for the oncoming attack she only felt two fingers jam up in her nostrel's. Struggling to get free Naruko bopped him on the head a couple of times. "Well this is a weird situation... I had another technique but seeing as your a girl I'll settle for this one" Having his back to her he brought one leg forward and adjusted Naruko for a throw.

From the bushes Sasuke frowned _"Their both buffoons!"_

With a disapproving look Sakura shook her head at what looked like a human catapult. _"He used only her nose to throw her in the water... Oowch!"_

Naruko floated in the water a few moments rubbing her sore nose. _"CRAP! This isn't how it's gonna go!_ reaching into her pouch she pulled out two shuriken.

Two black blurs shot out of the water their target easily catching and twirling them in one hand. His cheeks turned red as he kept reading his book an almost girlish chuckle escaping his lips.

Looking up at the sky Sakura worried _"He's still laughing over his book... he's only playing with poor Naruko"_

Hands clenching and teeth grinding Naruko got fed up _"I will..."_. _** "You are the nine-tailed fox spirit that destroyed the village!" "No one will ever except you!" **__"It's true I hate the demon, but not Naruko. Never Naruko she's a good student and I respect her"_

_"I WILL NOT BACK DOWN!"_

Crawling out of the water, She tried to find her air.

"Well? Whats the hold up? Get one of these bells by lunch, or you'll have no lunch!" He jingled the bells lazily on his index finger.

Breathing deeply Naruko glared "DUH! I KNOW THAT!" legs folded on the sides of her and arms supported her in a slouching sitting position.

"You claim to want to be the first female hokage, But you've already run out of steam."

**GURGLE**

All at the same time, the three genin's stomach rumbled in hunger. Placing a hand over her flat stomach that felt like it was retracting, she let out a frustrated yell. "I JUST WASN'T READY THATS ALL!" he only shook his head "So learn to get ready. Don't they say that chance favors the prepared mind?" He turned and walked the other way from his drench student.

Clenching her teeth her glare deepened _"Crap! I'm straving! Way to go on you're diet the day you're a real shinobi! Good Plan!... But I have to get a bell... no matter what!"_ chest rising and falling fast, she watched her sensei's retreating back. _"I have to earn his respect! no matter what!"_

What had next nobody expected to happen. Eight solid Naruko's jumped out of the water high above.

Sasuke watched from his hiding place with shock _"One... Two... Three... But eight distinct bodies, What technique is she using?"_

"HA-HAH! MY SPECIALTY! THE ART OF DOPPLE GANGERS! GET READY! NOW YOU FACE MORE THAN JUST ONE OF ME!" all nine of the Naruko's charged at her sensei mischievous smile's on each one.

"Not illusions, but actual flesh and blood bodies!" unfazed Kakashi fully turned to the blonde. _"This is the lost shinobi skill from the forbidden scroll... it's the technique she used to defeat Mizuki!" _" At your level you couldn't even keep this up for more than a minute! You talk a good game... But you're still Naruko! You're a one trick pony who hasn't got what it takes to win!"

Suddenly Kakashi was tackled from behind. The clone locked her arms and legs around the older shinobi's body. _"WH-WHAT? BEHIND ME?"_

Everyone watched with suspense as the Naruko's threw the real one into the air, while two other grabbed Kakashi's legs keeping him in place. "Heh-heh-heh... Hello... I isolated one of my dopple-gangers... sent it out of the water posing as me! while I circled around beind you! HERE'S FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME!"

Sakura smiled widely, not once had she seen this side of Naruko before.

Sasuke smirked _"That girl... she used the art of misdirection... feinting to distract her enemy before she struck somewhere else... not bad... for a girl"_

Locking her arm for a good punch Naruko used the momentum from the gravity to use in her punch. She smiled brightly as she sent a black and orange clad flying towards the dirt with big eyes. WAIT A MINUTE!

Author: Chapter 5 finshed! now only 85 chapters to go! wow almost done the first book only two more chapters to go!... oh by the way everyone! I'm doing it up to the part she met the prevy sage... I **want** go further but we'll have to see if I get 40 bucks to go get my manga!... MANGA! anyway REVIEW! (ride's away in a random sunset)


	6. Not Sasuke!

Disclaimer: Why Do You Hurt Me With This! No I Still Own Nothing!

Chapter 6 Not Sasuke!

"YOU'RE MASTER KAKASHI AREN'T YOU! YOU USED THE ART OF TRANSFORMATION TO CHANGE!"

Naruko pointed at a clone.

**POW!**

"NO, DID NOT!

**BAM!**

"SO DID YOU!"

**THONK!**

"DID NOT!"

Suddenly the crowd of Naruko's attacked eachother. Hair pulling, biting and scratching, not one of them letting up. "You have the same smell as Kakashi!... An old guy!" more fighting went on. "I DO NOT!"

"Wait!" they all stopped to look at that one clone. "Drop the illusion, that way they'll be only two of us!" The real Naruko grabbed the clone's collar "Why didn't you think of that sooner Idiot?". Pushing her hand away that clone glared "Because I'm you idiot!"

In a large poof of smoke Naruko stood alone battered and beaten, with a few tears.

Sakura frowned _"Naruko... looks awful."_

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the sight _"He used the art of substitution... By trading places with one of the Narukos, he confused and frustrated her... but I doubt he had that in mind"_

Looking completely fine Naruko's eye caught the light of a shiny object. "A BELL!" running over she laughed like a child. "Hee- Hee-Hee-Hee, Must have dropped it on accident!... Hah!"

As she reached down her feet were pulled out of under her, aggraivated she yelled out while being swung back and forth.

Sasuke made a disappointed expression while Naruko still swung. _"That idiot never think's, of course it'll be a trap... but even more troubling... Master Kakashi didn't drop his gaurd once, during his fight with Naruko..."_

Kakashi picked up the discared bell with a bored expression. "You used your technique well, but so did I... and you were the one who got used. And to be caught in such an obivous trap... Was Stupid!"

Childishly Naruko blew her tongue out at her teacher hopefully spiting on him.

"Shinobi read the hidden meanings within the hidden meanings!" he lectured.

"I KNOW THAT!"

"Uh, no you don't, thats why i'm saying it."

Sasuke sprung to his feet, and threw a barrage of weapons at his target without hesitation. _"There! His gaurds down!"_

Kakashi smiled at Naruko "That's why you-" his sentence was cut off as her master was impaled by weapons dead on hitting their target.

The blonde's eyes widened "WOAH! WOAH! NO WAY! THAT WAS OVER KILL SASUKE!"

**Poof!**

Surprising both genin the Kakashi was turned into a log. Jumping away Sasuke went to find a different hiding place. _"Damnit! he used substitution again! and made me give away my position!"_ "He deliberately acted like he was off gaurd... and I fell for it like an amateur!"

Naruko watched as Sasuke jumped away trying to find a different hiding spot. A red large tick appeared on her head when she realized what had happened. "SASUKE! YOU JERK! HOW COULD YOU JUST LEAVE ME HANG HERE!"

Searching Sakura ran through the tree's getting more worried by the minute. _"Sasuke... where are you?... maybe Kakashi got him... NO! I will not believe that!"_

A head of silvery hair made her abruptly stop on a tree branch. Kakashi stood in her line of sight reading his book casually. _"Good he hasn't seen me"_ she sighed in relief.

"Sakura behind you"

Pulling out a kunia the blonde kunouchi cut the rope that held her foot. "Ha! Read the hidden meaning's within the hidden meaning! My pretty butt!" She gracefully flipped upside down feet first to the ground. "No way am I gonna get caught by one of Kakashi's trap's!".

**SNAP!**

Being held upside down Naruko yelled out in more frustration. "ARGH! NOT AGAIN! HE SET A TRAP UNDER THE FIRST ONE!"

Looking dazed and confused Sakura looked around. "Wasn't I somewhere else before?"

**"Sakura..."**

_"sounds like..."_ Recongnizing the voice Sakura turned around with a smile bright. "Sasuke!"

A look of horror crossed Sakura's face as she stared at the mutilated, bleeding, and broken Sasuke. With his only good eye that wasn't torn out he stared at her pleadingly. **"Sakura... Help... me..."**

"YEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Watching from afar Kakashi looked up from his book to the foaming wide eyed Sakura. "hmm... think I over did it..."

Looking around Sasuke heard a loud scream. _"sounded like Sakura... must have gotten to her..."_

"The second jutsu skill. Genjutsu the art of illusion..." the chime of bells rung in the air. "and Sakura fell right for it" Kakashi smiled slightly from behind his mask.

Sasuke's expression went cold "I'm not like them..."

"Save your boast's for when you've actually got a bell... Sasuke"

OHH! SHIT! WHO WILL WIN YOU ALL ALREADY KNOWS WHAT HAPPENS SO REMEMBER TO REVIEW! I'm new so I still need to learn! BBYEE!


	7. Kakashi

Disclaimer: I own nothing!... STILL!

What up everybody! Last chapter in the first book!... yay! anyway enough praddling!

Chapter 7 Kakashi's Decision

"The strength of the Uchiha clan one of the most elite clans in the village... I'm looking forward to it." He could feel the annoyed glare his student was giving him.

Crouching lower Sasuke pulled out three shuriken from his pouch. Anticipating this Kakashi easily jumped out of the line of fire. "Frontal assault is wasted here!"

Seeing the Uchiha smirk Kakashi looked back. One of the shuriken cut a hidden rope triggering a trap. More weapons aimed for him. Kakashi again jumped of the way, the weapons embedding themselves into the tree behind him.

Skidding into a stop the jonin caught the younger male flying threw the air aiming a back kick for his head.

Blocking it they stood their a couple of seconds Kakashi staring at the Uchiha in a bored Grabbing Sasuke's leg he didn't expect a punch using the block as leverage. The jonin easily grabbed his right fist. Now in a perfect position Sasuke swung his leg over his head. Kakashi was taken back by the surprise attack and used both arms to block the top of his head.

Sasuke smirked upside down in the air. His hand shot out towards the bells. Kakashi pushed him away his student only able to touch the shinning bells.

Flipping backwards the young male glared and tried to catch his breath. Kakashi smirked _"I can't even read my make out paradise while fighting him"_ Straightening up he smirked "well looks like I won't get any reading done".

Jolting up in a sitting position Sakura looked around her confused. "Hunh?... I..." _"I remember! Sasuke was dying... and when I saw that I..." _Panicking Sakura got to her feet with fresh tears in her eyes. "SASUKE! DON'T DIE!... WHERE ARE YOU!"

Naruko spun around boredly thinking over a strategy with a pout. "Argh! I can't think of anything... I'm too hungry to think..." Placing a hand on her protesting stomach her eyes fell on the stumps. "I've never seen that square rock behind those stumps... Hey... The lunch boxes are on top of the boulder!" She grinned mischieviously "Read the hidden meaning, within the hidden meanings right Kakashi?... Hee-Hee-Hee"

"I'll admit, You're not like the others..."

"Hn" Sasuke's hands went into a series of handsign's _"__**Horse!, Tiger! Fire style! Fire ball Jutsu!**__"_

Kakashi stared wide eyed at the genin "What?" _" That should be to advanced for him! His chakra shouldn't have even developed enough to perform it!"_

Blowing out Sasuke covered the terrain in flames. Kakashi's form disappeared in the flames of fire.

Coming to his last breath Sasuke was shocked to find nothing where a charred Kakashi should have been. _"Above? behind? right? left? where'd he disappear?"_

"Below."

Looking down helplessly Sasuke watched hands come up from out of the ground grabbing tightly at his ankles. "Earth style! Ground hog jutsu! Decapitation!"

Not long after Kakashi crouched infront of a struggling Sasuke. "Shinobi art three... Ninjutsu. But at least as you said you're performance was head and shoulders above you're teammates" Getting up and walking away from the pissed Uchiha. Kakashi turned back once "Oh well. You know what they say about the nail that sticks up get's hammered down. Heheheh" He chuckled.

Naruko sat infront of the large square stone, hands clapped infront of her. "Heheheh even if I can't win those bells fair and square. I can deal... I'll just hang out here and eat everyone else's lunch"

**Ahem!**

Looking back with big blue eyes Naruko smile nervously "Ah... just kidding!"

"Too late!"

Sasuke grinded his teeth in anger. "Damnit! I almost had them" he harshly whispered to himself.

Running out from the bushes Sakura spotted the decapitated Sasuke and screamed. "What the hell was that about?"

"Hey..." Sakura opened one eye at the familiar voice. _"sounds like sasuke's voice"_ Looking around she spotted her favorite raven haired teen and practically attacked hugged him. "SASUKE! YOUR ALIVE!"

The Uchiha looked everywhere but at the girl completely caught off gaurd and confused "Yeah... just let go!"

Getting up and brushing himself off he turned and walked away. "It's almost noon time's running out... I'm off."

Biting the inside of her cheek Sakura looked around nervously "Sasuke? do you honestly believe that we can get a bell?" "I got close enough to touch one next time I'll diffiantly get one" Sakura's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"Really now?... you're so awesome Sasuke..." she said differenly from her thoughts. _"This is terrible! I need to get a bell for myself! I can't be seperated from Sasuke!"_

"Well... time's almost out... maybe next time we'll give it our very best..."

Sasuke stopped her from talking anymore with an annoyed glare. Seeing this she looked up and then back down sadly.

"Only I can kill him..."

Sakura looked up surprised "who?"

"The one who made me... cry..."

"You cried?..." she awkwardly asked.

"...My..." His eyes went sad for a split second.

"Sasuke?... what are you talking about?..."

"I have to become stronger than he is now... My main goal is to get my revenge..."

**BRRRRRRRING!**

Both Sasuke and Sakura were looking at the timing clock on the stump. Growling deep in his throut Sasuke cursed "Crap!... Should have saved my breath..."

Naruko stood at the stump with a pout and flushed cheek's. Embarassed that she was tied to the stump, and pouting because she didn't get the chance to eat the box lunches. Sasuke and Sakura next to her's sat next to her stump, in usion their stomachs growled at the same time.

"My, listen to those little stomach's growl. By the way I have an annoucement about this test... none of you will be sent back to the academy..." He smiled from behind his mask at the shocked looks. The first one to smile was the happy blonde "Yeah!".

Sakura sat shocked _"Even me? after I fainted like that?... YEAH! BABY! LOVE CONJUER'S ALL!"_

Looking down slightly relieved Sasuke smirked. "Hn"

Both female's looked at one another before grinning ear to ear Naruko throwing her legs in the air in celebrating. Gladly over joyed Sakura jumped up and down laughing.

"This rocks!... That mean's all three of us-"

"... Are hopeless, more schooling would be pointless...".

Naruko's expression quickly went from happy to horror.

"What?..."


	8. Naruko one shot!

Disclaimer: I don't know characters and story belong to the one and only Masashi Kishimoto.

One shot

Unwomanly Behavior! 

It was just another day for team seven with only a few clouds in the stretching blue sky. Pretty pink haired Sakura stood inbetween her two teammates. Attention only on the infamous Uchiha while at the same time trying her best to ignore the loud slurping noises from the only other female of their group (if she could be called a female).

"Naruko! could you stop making all that noise?" Sakura practically yelled breaking the unnoticable silence in the group.

Noodles still clung to her whiskered cheeks soup dripping from her chin she whipped her head in her general direction unintenionally splashing a few drops of broth on Sakura's red ninja outfit.

"Mwhuf mi do wrung?" Naruko asked with a mouth full of ramen noodles.

A tick appeared on the disgusted pink teammates head as she glared down at the shrinking ditz. "Naruko your so gross! girls aren't suppose to talk with their mouths full!" Sakura pointed at Naruko's mouth. Oh how she wanted to turn this unintelligent monkey into a human.

With one last slurp Naruko licked her lips of the remains of her ramen and stared back at Sakura with a goofy grin. "Chill out Sakura if you ever had ramen you would understand why ramen's good for you"

The Uchiha raised an eyebow at this "you little ditz ... it's nothing but greasy food and if you keep eating them you'll most likely be over weight by the end of the year".

Naruko laughed at this "HAHAHA That's so dumb! I'm to awesome for anything like that to happen!" satisfied with her answer she continued to inhale her meal. Sakura shook her head while Sasuke merely shrugged his shoulders at the blond's ignorant statement.

There was a few moments of silence until Naruko spoke up again. "Sasuke? Do you count calories?" To Naruko it was a completely innocent question but the glare he gave her said otherwise. While at the same time their bubblegum haired teammate looked positively horrified at the unmanly accusation against her Sasuke. "NARUKO! That isn't a very polite thing to say!" "Wha... Why not?" the clueless ditz was taken back by her out burst.

She had no idea what the problem was. Just yesterday she had asked Shikamaru the same thing and he didn't seem offended at all, he didn't give her an answer either but he wasn't mad or anything like the uptight Uchiha was now.

"Che' what a ditz. I'm outta here" Sasuke pushed off the wooden fence and walked away not sparing his teammates another glance.

"Ugh! that basterd Sasuke! All I asked was if he counted calories! nothing wrong with that!" Finally fed up Sakura smacked the back of Naruko's head making her rock forward into her half full bowl.

"Oww! damnit Sakura if you were a boy I would seriously hurt you for ruining ramen!" she said glaring at the more mature girl.

"You idiot Naruko! Don't you know boys don't do things like girls?" Sakura stated firmly trying to make her understand basic knowledge

But unfortunately for her explaining the differences between men and women was something no one had taken the time out to tell her little blond. Completely confused Naruko tilted her head in a questioning look "Why?".

Sakura face palmed.

A Tea Shop

"Ok Naruko observe that man over there and notice how he sit's?" Sakura pointed at a random couple. Naruko only smiled nervously at her ignoring the strange feeling of bandage's on her cheek's to cover the obvious whiskers.

"Um I get you want to help me understand whatever it is you're trying to help me with but... Why are we in diguise?" She asked her usual orange jacket replaced by a white long sleeved kimono shirt and a brown pair of short's. Sakura sat in what looked like a short sleeved green frilled top matched with a blue ninja skirt.

"And these wigs are just a little itchy" A top her head Naruko scratched at a short bobbed orange wig while Sakura looked unfazed wearing a brown ponytail styled wig. "Is it because Sasuke's here?" She grunted. "Naruko there are a lot of reason's why we're dressed up. But the one you should be more focused on is that couple over there. Now pay attention"

She bowed her head "Ok"

"Do you notice how the guy orders... and the girl he's with..."

Naruko tried her best to pay attention but the way Sakura was speaking was as if she were teaching a classroom, and everyone knows Naruko is not a good listener when it comes to school. Instead her attention was focused on the Uchiha and his very small portion of lunch. _"He's counting his calories right now!"_ Surprised she continued to watch as he distributed his rice and vegetable's from eachother. _"Ha! I knew it! He does count calories! And here Sakura say's boys and girls are different"_

"Hey Naruko? Are you even listening?" in attempt to get the attention of the dim witted ditz Sakura pinched her cheek leaving an angry red mark.

"Ow! Sakura! That hurt!" Tear's at the edge of her eye's she rubbed her sore cheek. "Well pay attention Naruko" she was exhausted of the usual Naruko antics. "I was only looking at Sasuke. He's counting the calories in his meal right now look!" She whispered behind a menu.

Interested Sakura took a sit next to her and observed. She was surprised to say the least. There he was the last living Uchiha choosing the least fattening food on the menu. Just to make sure Sakura checked the menu also to see his choice of food to confirm both of their suspicion's.

"See? I knew it he does count." Naruko smiled.

"Uh yeah... Listen I have to go home now okay? See ya tomorrow!" Before she could stop her Sakura was already gone.

"But... man I don't get Sakura today... " said a very confused and worn out Naruko. As if an after thought she walked over to the defenseless Uchiha. (Note: Sasuke always has his gaurd down when he eats) "Hey basterd what'cha eating? The low fat platter? I would eat that to but I'm no wuss" She mocked rather tiredly.

Pretending like he knew she was there the whole time Sasuke grunted ambicueously. "What Ditz?" "Nothing I just wanted to ask if you were counting calories I mean come on, you look like you're afraid to touch your food" she sat across from him barely taking him back by her disguise. "One why are you in a disguise? Two I'm not counting calories" His voice sharp and frustrated. "Well the reason why I'm wearing a disguise is because Sakura said I needed to learn how boys and girls are different but she left. And are you sure your not counting calories? dividing your vegetables from your carb's seems pretty suspicious to me"

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose.

Meanwhile At Sakura's House

"Yeah this turned out alot better than I thought it would! Can't wait to show Sasuke tomorrow!"

"Sakura so how is little Sasuke? Has he asked you to marry him yet?" Sakura's mom taunted. "Mom get real! We haven't even went out yet!" The younger Haruno replied with a heavy blush. With a coy look Sakura's mom shook her head and exited the kitchen leaving Sakura to finish her boxed lunch.


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own anything characters or story all belongs to Masashi Kishimoto

Chapter 8 Failure!

"Give it up not one of the three of you will ever be ninja!"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN GIVE UP? Just because none of us got our hands on your stupid bells! Why should we quit?" The tied up blond yelled, feeling he was being unfair. "Because not one of you has what it takes!" Kakashi replied.

Something triggered in Sasuke when Kakashi said these words. Before anyone knew what was happening or what had happened the older masked ninja was sitting on a very angry squirming pile. Looking completely undeterred he pinched the humiliated Uchiha's cheek "What you are is a trio of spoiled brats". "Master Kakashi! Don't Step On Sasuke!" Sakura tried to go to the defense of her teammate. Meanwhile Naruko tried her best to hold in her laugh at the scene in front of her _"Have to hold it! Have to hold it! Being serious right now!__"_

With a deadly glare from Kakashi the humour of the situation disappeared leaving both girls frozen. "Are you trying to make fun of the shinobi with your behaviour? Well, are you?... Did any of you wonder why you were divided into teams?" Sakura was slightly taken back by the question "Uhh..." Shifting a little he continued "Obviously not, you missed the entire point of the exercise." Naruko tilted her head to the side in confusion "It had a point...?" Kakashi nodded his head "Of course, and that point determines whether or not you would succeed."

"But... you haven't explained what it is!" The pink haired genin was getting frustrated from all the suspense. "... I don't believe this..." Kakashi muttered.

Iruka's House

Both master Iruka and Hokage sat across from each other enjoying lunch. "You invited me to lunch because you wanted to learn something right, Iruka? What is it?" said man stopped mid eating "Group seven... Naruko and the others... what kind of teacher did you assign them, lord Hokage? Is he strict?" Iruka seemed almost afraid to ask. "Who... Kakashi? Does it worry you? Here..." The hokage casually handed a teacher's book to Iruka, who opened it without hesitation. "It's a roster of all of Kakashi's previous students among the junior-level shinobi, who passed and who failed."

A look of disbelief immediately flashed on Iruka's face.

Training Grounds

"TELL US ALREADY!" yelled Naruko, finally sick of all the stalling.

"It's Teamwork."

This surprised all of them. "If the three of you had come at me together... then you might have been able to take the bells." he said matter of factly. "But... if we were to work as a team, Why did you only have two bells? Even if we worked together one of us still would have had to go without lunch! Your saying teamwork is the key, but you completely played us against each other!" Now they were all confused. Kakashi was quiet for a few seconds trying to keep his cool. "Of course this task was designed to cause a rift in the trust between you, But the situation was set up to reveal which of you would set aside your individual interests... and propose to the others that you work together for the good of all... instead..."

His one good eye went in Sakura's direction "You Sakura, ignored Naruko who was right in front of you and clearly needed the aid-" "HEY!" the offended blond growled. "Were focused only on Sasuke, though you didn't know where he was. Naruko tried to do single handedly what should have been the work of all three! And Sasuke had already decided that the other two just got in his way... and was better off alone. You are a team learn to act as one! Yes, It's necessary for ninja to have individual skills, but... what is important right now is teamwork!" he scolded harshly.

"Making a play as an individual is bad for the team and exposes your comrades to unnecessary danger. You may as well kill them yourselves... here's an example..." reaching into his back pocket Kakashi bent forward kunai in hand, the blade deadly close to slitting the throat of the teen beneath him. "Sakura... kill Naruko... or Sasuke dies!" Naruko's leg's kicked to get free. "A time might come when you are faced with the same situation..." Relief washed over both girls as Kakashi freed Sasuke (or more simply stood up). "When you're on a mission your lives are always at risk." He made his way over to a concrete marker. "Look at this... the names carved into it were heroes, all ninja".

Hearing both the word _**hero**_ and _**ninja**_ in the same sentence instantly rallied the little dim wit. "That's it! That's where I want my name to go, I wanna be like them! A hero! Believe it!" Kakashi cleared his throat awkwardly "The ones listed here aren't just any heroes..." "Really? There's different kinds? What kind are they? Tell me! Tell me!" she was enthusiastic now over her new discovery.

"The dead kind. They died in the line of duty Naruko." he answered solemnly. After a few moments of silence she realized her insensitive questions. Her head had lowered in embarrassment, her blue eyes hidden behind her chin length blond bangs.

"This is a memorial, it includes the name of my best friend..." Team seven listened carefully, actually interested in what their somewhat strange sensei had to say. "... Now... I'm giving you all one last chance. One that will be far more difficult than the game with the bells." Narrowing his one good eye in the direction of the blond. She could only gulp nervously. "If you're prepared to continue, you may eat one of the bento boxes. But no sharing with Naruko, she goes hungry." "Why?" she asked. "You brought it on to yourself when you tried to steal them in the first place. If either of you feed her it's an automatic fail... My word is law, Got it?" With a cloud of smoke he was gone.

"HA I can last without food no prob! I once survived three weeks without food hahaha!-" GROWL!.

Team seven sat around the training pole where the starving Naruko hung. Her stomach growling miserably. Sasuke sat below watching the expression on her face with a blank expression. Prying her eyes opening Naruko caught the stare but ignored it and was enraptured by the box of food he was holding.

"Um Sasuke?...uh-" "Here." He interrupted her with his bento shoved in her direction. Sakura saw this and the food she was chewing fell out of her mouth. "B-But Sasuke! Master Kakashi told us-!" "I'm not worried; He's probably miles away by now. And we'll need our strength if we're going to get those bells. You're no good to me if you're just going to be a liability..." A heavy blush of an embarrassment appeared on the Naruko's whiskered cheeks. Suddenly another box of food appeared in her line of sight. "Naruko I'm taking some food from Sasuke's bento into my so he won't have feed you... _**That's my Sasuke!**_" Her inner Sakura yelled. A bright grin lite up Naruko's face "thanks.."

Iruka's house

"What? I don't believe it..." Iruka was flabbergasted. "Yes... there's no denying that Kakashi is extremely strict... and when students come to him, they are utterly naive..." Iruka looked up at the hokage. "I can understand that but... no one? No one at all...?" The younger man seemed almost frantic. The hokage took another puff from his pipe. "Yes, Kakashi never passes anyone. Ever..."

Training grounds

Unsuspecting doom crept upon team seven. An explosion of smoke pushed both Sasuke and Sakura away from the training pole. "YOU...!" Kakashi's head appeared out of the smoke eye red with anger.

Sasuke prepared for a fight while both Naruko and Sakura watched with awaiting horror.

"Pass!" He winked

Naruko slumped, Sakura on the verge of tears, And Sasuke glared hard. "We Pass! But..Why?" questioned the pinkette.

"You three have just taken a giant step forward. Up until now all any of you have done is listen unquestioningly to everything i say... like mindless little drones. A true shinobi seeks for the hidden meanings within hidden meanings. In a ninja's world those who violate the rules and fail to follow orders... are lower than garbage." a tender look in his eye made Naruko blush. "But... those who do not care for and support their fellows are lower than that!"

"Oh!" Sakura cutely smiled. Sasuke looked down at the ground in contemplation. Naruko's blush grew to the tips of her ears. _"Master Kakashi... is so cool..."_ Giving his new team a thumbs up for confirmation Kakashi concluded the test. "Team seven's duties shall start tomorrow!" "YEAH! I DID IT! I'M A NINJA BELIEVE IT!"

"Now let's all go home." Kakashi walked away with Sakura and Sasuke on either side of him... "HEY! I'M STILL TIED UP!_ I take back what I thought! Kakashi isn't cool!_"


	10. worst client!

Disclaimer: I own nothing all credit belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and his team of editor's and story writers and manga artists.

Chapter 9 Who does this guy think he is!?

A quiet morning wasn't a particular new thing to the hidden leaf village, but looks could most certainly be deceiving.

"How far away is the target?" The one eyed jonin quietly spoke through his headset. There were a few moments of light static. "Naruko! That's your cue!" the headset bellowed, a clear indication of an irritated Sakura. "Oh! Right… Ok I'd say about five metre's and closing, let's get it on!" the blond tried to her best to whisper. "Set!" Sasuke confirmed, "Ready!"

"Engage on target… Now!"

Both Sasuke and Sakura cut off the escape routes, while Naruko inelegantly tackled their struggling target to the ground. "Sasuke please confirm appearance, ribbon on right ear with tiger inscribed on it" Scratching the back of his head Sasuke turned away from the embarrassing scene of Naruko being mulled by an over fed cat. "OW! Stupid Cat! That Hurts!" "-sigh- target is confirmed ribbon right ear, tiger"

Hokage Mansion

Childishly sticking her tongue out at the cat that was currently being smothered by his owner, she just had to laugh. "Okay next mission, would be to babysit for the council of elders-", "NO! Old man! Give us something cooler to do! Like save a princess, or rescue a business from being terrorized! Just something cool!"

Sasuke grunted in agreement, while their other teammate glared at the little idiot.

Iruka stood "Don't be an idiot...! You're only a beginner! Everyone starts out doing grunt work it's where you gain experience!" his outburst matched hers, years of experience some would say.

"We've been doing small stuff since the beginning when are we gonna get some action!" Kakashi had interrupted her with a fist to the top of her blond head. "Naruko that's enough cut it out"

The old man took a long puff of his pipe "Naruko… everyday our village receives request's from babysitting job's, labour work, to assassination's. We take all those requests and categorize them from D to S rank, depending on the level of skill required. That is why the shinobi are divided into different classes. Then at the end of it all we the council place the required skilled shinobi into the mission they are most suited for and you've only just attained the lowest rank- ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING?!" Naruko sat on the ground organizing her daily meals of mostly ramen. Her teammates had found her food schedule much more interesting than the old man's explanation. The oldest jonin scratched the back of his head apologetically "I-I'm sorry…" While Naruko crossed her arms "Well I'm not! All the old fart ever does is, say sorry and lecture me! I'm **not** the brainless screw up he thinks I am! A silence fell across the room.

"Ok…" the hokage seemed impressed at the growing Uzumaki.

Everyone, but Iruka, were surprised. "Yeah, you won't regret it old man! Believe it!" the hyper blond howled in excitement, of course being the first to recover from the shock.

"You may come in…" The hokage looked at the door expectantly, hands interlaced together.

The wooden framed sliding door was roughing pushed aside. An old man with grey hair, glasses, and bottle in hand stood in the doorway giving them all a hazy gaze. Naruko's nose scrunched up at the horrible smell of the liquor the old man was downing.

"You have tohic! be kidding! They all look like nothing but a bunch of wet nosed brats! Especially the little one with the stupid look"

Both Sasuke and Sakura looked down at the shortest member of their team. Red was an unflattering color on the tiny Uzumaki. "I'M GONNA KILL THE OLD MAN!" "No killing the person we've been assigned to protect!" Kakashi lectured.

With a smug look the old man had successfully made an enemy of the blonde haired 12 year old. "I'm Tazuna, a famous bridge builder... until I'm safely back in my country, where I'll be completing my next bridge; you'll all be expected to protect me… even at the cost of your lives!"

The next morning!

"YEAH! THIS IS GONNA BE SO COOL! BELIEVE IT!" The quiet morning was interrupted by a charging blond, stubby pigtail's atop her head flying behind her.

"Naruko! Stop being so loud! It's too early for your yelling!" Dark circles under Sakura's eyes indicated a late night deciding what to bring for the trip.

"Sorry… It's just that this will be my first time ever leaving the village!" excited at the new sights around her she examined the trees and grass like they were completely different.

"Am I really expected to place my life in the hands of this little fool?" Tazuna immediately brought the whiskered cheeked blond in a bad mood. "Sigh There's no call for concern, I'm an elite ninja, and I'll be along as well…"

"_Man! Who does this old guy think he is?! It doesn't mattered what he say's I'm not gonna let him ruin my mood!"_ "Listen ya old geezer! No one messes with ninja, especially one like me! Feel honoured because you're looking at the future Hokage! The best in the entire village! My name is Naruko Uzumaki! Remember it!" feeling awfully proud of herself a goofy grin reached ear to ear.

"Heh… Hokage huh... best in the village… I don't think someone like you is up to the challenge." He took a swig of his drink.

"Yeah! Well what do you know! You're old and a drunk! Once I become Hokage you're gonna wish you were more respectful to me!" frustration was clearly a common trait from her.

"I wouldn't respect you even if you become Hokage!" his insult had broken Naruko's resolve to stay calm.

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU! YOU OLD FART!"

"I **said** no! You little ditz!" Kakashi held his growling students collar.

Some minutes of walking and a finally settled Naruko later… "Um, Mr. Tazuna…?" Sakura quietly broke the silence with her quiet voice.

"What now?" the gruff old man grumbled.

"You come from the land of the waves, right?" she had almost hesitated

"And what of it?"

Noticing his irritation Sakura redirected her attention to her to the white hair adult. "Um… master Kakashi? Is there any ninja in that country too?"

"No. Not in the land of waves. But, as a general rule, even with all the differences that exist in local culture and customs… most other lands have their own hidden village where a ninja clan resides. A ninja clan does not take orders from the local lords of the land instead they are on equal terms with the government… and we as the ninja act as the army to protect the people. The leaf, sand, clouds, mist, and stone hidden villages all have the largest armies of the countries and are therefore referred to as the five great lands. They are also the only places that the shinobi rulers call themselves Akage, or shadow… In the different countries the rulers are named differently, for example our ruler is the Hokage. These older experienced shinobi are the commanders of the tens of thousands shinobi that fight for the villages." He finally finished with a smile.

Naruko looked on in wonder _"All those shinobi in the palm of my hand ready and willing to do anything I command! So much power…" _

"Really? Lord Hokage is so cool!" Sakura smiled brightly _"Really? I don't see what's so great about the old man who practically lives on lecturing us!"_ while her outside exterior was impressed and in awe, her inner self crossed her arms in defiance and boredom.

Walking beside her Kakashi easily caught on to her guise. "You obviously don't think so…" Catching her expression Kakashi reached his hand over and patted her head assuring. "Don't worry! You won't have to fight any other ninja from other clans on c level mission" they both shared a laugh at the absurdity of the thought of fighting other ninja on a c rank mission.

While they were talking Naruko had fallen behind some, thinking about the glorious moment when she would be made Hokage. Not seeing that Sasuke had slowed down right in front of her. Her face had crashed into the wall that was Sasuke's back.

Rubbing her sore nose she noted the resigned look that was presently on the Uchiha's face. Tying to follow his line of sight to the old man, apparently not having the attention span to get it she instead kicked the older genin in the back, for pay back… it was much easier.

Dark circled eyes watched the argument play out from the safety of the trees. "Too… easy…"

"Ugh! These shoes are new too!" Naruko tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Huh? There shoes, you were going to get them dirty anyway!"

Sakura didn't find her comment helpful, and only scowled at the idiot. "Shut up Naruko! If you were a real girl you would understand!"

"What?! Are you trying to say...I'm… you're mean…!"

Kakashi had drowned out the entire conversation, his focus on the puddle Sakura had step in. "How bout we keep moving!" the jonin broke up the fight with his unmanly high voice.

Both girls looked at the other in pity _"Man… our sensei is so uncool…"_

Without looking back Kakashi could feel the vibrations of the ground slightly shifting from the movement behind the group. _"I knew it!"_ his thoughts were interrupted by swarming chains.

A gurgled cry ripped through the air, stopping everyone in their tracks. A look of complete horror had over taken Narukos face. They watched as Kakashi was wrapped with razor chains and cut in pieces before their eyes.

Sasuke was battle ready, Sakura was on the verge of tears, and Naruko was in a state of disbelief.

The killers stood over the pieces of Kakashi, killing intent thick in the air. Before she seen them move, they appeared behind Naruko sinister eyes glistening with anticipation.

"Now… for the next little piggy…"

To be continued… maybe

Hey I'm the chick who… does this thing. Anyway! I'm now only doing this in my free time! So for those people who are incredibly sensitive to the fact that I write this and have fun writing it … idk, send me a review telling me how angry you are. So than I could graciously ignore it and get on with my life. NOW! For those with open minds! Thanks! You are nice people and all deserve cookies! I swear, when we met in real life you can make fun of me and I'll get you that cookie you deserve!


	11. target2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything! All belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!

Chapter 10 Target #2

Naruko only had enough time to look back at the oncoming attack, to paralyzed with fear to move.

Metal disfigured hands grasping each other, pulling at the razor chain further apart for its next victim.

"_Are you kidding me?!"_ The frightened blonde couldn't tear her eyes away from the chain that had so recently ended Master Kakashi's own life, a jonin!

The air next to her ear split open when a black blur past her furthest line of sight, the razor chain went along with it embedding itself in the trunk of a tree behind the two masked ninja. Shortly after that a kunai appeared beneath the chains, pushing them further into the tree.

Confused, Naruko could only stand and watch, even when Sasuke had immobilized the both of them. She was just in awe of the black haired boy at the moment.

Sasuke stood on the both of their arms, with a flourish his body was supported by his hands alone, feet in the faces of the two masked men.

"_W-wow!... Sasuke!" _Naruko was impressed.

Praise for the Uchiha was cut short when a click was heard and an enemy was racing towards the old man Tazuna.

Running solely on adrenalin, Sakura had done the only thing she could think of at the moment. Kunai in hand "GET BACK!" panic in her voice when she pushed Tazuna back to take the hit to block the hit.

Sasuke seen the other claw and immediately stood in front of both the old man and Sakura ready for another fight. What he hadn't expected was the other masked man to go after the unprotected blonde. _"Damnit! Move you idiot!"_ He watched her expression of a mixture of scared and bewilderment, with an unexpected feeling of pity.

Naruko was above anything else completely confused. A glimmer of metal indicated an attacker from the left. _"Crap! This is how I die?! I-I haven't even had a boyfriend yet! Or thought about having one!"_ As on reflex she raised her hand to protect herself. Eye's shut tight hands balled into fists; she only felt a wind brush against the back of her hand.

"Master Kakashi…! You're Alive!" Sakura's shrill excited voice was something Naruko welcomed at the moment, it signified she wasn't dead.

Eyes flew open to see Kakashi holding the two unknown ninja under his arms. To her his respect meter went up considerably.

She turned to look at the body pieces that were once Kakashi but, but now only a pile of logs. _"He used transformation jutsu he's amazing!"_ she hid her blush behind her chin length hair, which had fallen out of its usual pigtail style. "I'm sorry Naruko, I should have helped you sooner… before you were injured. It never occurred to me that you would freeze up." Kakashi's attention switched over to her other two teammates. "Sasuke, Sakura great job!"

Naruko's earlier admiration for the Uchiha was quickly forgotten, replaced by childish jealousy. _"I couldn't do anything! But Sasuke, who's never been a real fight acted as if it was no big deal…! Even saving my life seemed like no big deal to him!" _

A shadow engulfed her still sitting frame, she knew it was Sasuke. Hand outstretched in an attempt to help her, he smirked "You need help… scaredy-cat?" almost instantly her face turned a beet red. In seconds Sasuke's own hand was slapped away by a scowling blonde. Blood covered the back of his hand, like hers. "I don't need anyone's help! Least of all you-!" just as she was kneeling to stand dizziness made her stumble to the ground again._"Damnit! I'm in too much shock to move my legs!" _

"Naruko! Stop moving! Their claws have been poisoned, we have to clean that wound as soon as possible. If we cut into it more deeply the blood flow will wash away the poison, so don't move or it'll get worse." She nodded in understanding.

" …" Kakashi looked very intimidating at the moment with the limp ninja under her arms. "Wha… What is it?!" "I need to speak with you." The tone of his voice demanded an answer, no lies.

An half an hour later

"Our attackers appear to be journeyman level ninja of the Kirigakure clan mist ninjas. They are shinobi renowned for their willingness to fight on until their goal is achieved, even at the cost of their own lives." He nudged one in the foot. The long haired masked shinobi's response was a glare "obviously you were watching and waiting for us…" Kakashi shook his head thoughtfully "nope! You gave away your own position. The sun was out it hasn't even rained for several days… so there shouldn't have been any puddles on the ground"

Tazuna stepped in "Well if you know all that than why did you let them attack you?" The one eyed jonin shrugged "I could have killed them at any time… but" suddenly the air around had gotten colder. Naruko hazily tried her best to focus on the conversation, keeping up as best as she could. "I wanted to know who their real target was." The old man was surprised, "There has been no word of a shinobi seeking to take your life, the request that was relayed to the lord Hokage was that you have an escort to protect you from any roving bands of thieves and brigands. In any case, it's clear this is more than a B rank mission."Tazuna only remained quiet. "But if you expected to be the target of a ninja assault… then it is beyond question that this would have been classified and priced as a mission for elite ninja, you may have had your reasons, but it's never a good idea to conceal the facts when you are asking for it is my team isn't qualified enough for this type of mission." He ended with a nod towards the slightly panting Naruko, mostly from exhaustion.

"Master if we're not qualified enough for this… can we quit? Naruko needs medical attention! We should head back and have a doctor look at her!" Sakura was happy that there was a reason for them to go home. Kakashi looked over at his sitting student, thinking. "Hmm… save Naruko's life or save Tazuna's life? What a situation…"

Said blonde's hand twitched, _"Damnit I hate this feeling…! This ugly feeling of being cornered, It's my life! I decide whether to live or die!"_

The tip of a kunai found itself in Naruko's already still heavily bleeding wound. She'd stop for a bit and continue to push the knife further in. This action of self-mutilation had caught everyone off guard. "Naruko! Stop that!" Sakura's loud protests went on deaf ears._ "Why…? Why am I so different? I hate not fitting in! Even though I've been doing tons of extra training… I still blew it...! I swear no one's ever going to save me ever again! Sasuke won't have to save me ever again! I'll be the hero! I swear it… with the pain in my left hand…"_ She pushed the hilt further in "with this flow of blood, I promise I'll protect the old man," soaked strands of hair clung to her forehead from the effort "Naruko Uzumaki, reporting fit for duty, master!" a calmed expression replaced her earlier forced grin.

Somewhere else

"Your ninja didn't even stop him! How am I supposed to trust you if you can't…" The short white haired man was quickly silence with a giant blade at his throat. A dark figure lazily held the blade with hand one, threateningly close the smaller man's jugular. "Stop you're whinning… with this neck cleaving knife… I Momochi Zabuza, demon hidden in the mist… will spill there blood myself."

There! Another chapter done! Now off to standing buffalo Powwow! BYE!


	12. Going Ashore

Disclaimer: I don't own squat! Everything belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!... read the manga!

Chapter 11 Going ashore!

"Naruko, we only needed a free flow of blood. But you've exceeded the need…" the one eyed jonin crinkled his eye, in what she assumed was a smile. "You could die I'm serious..." the blonds jaw hit the ground "WHAT?! NO WAY! I'M GOING TO DIE LIKE THIS! MASTER SAVE ME!" Kakashi took her small hand into his "Okay, okay calm down…" tears prickling the edges of her eyes Naruko watched with a building uneasiness at Kakashi's stony expression.

"_Her wound… it's almost healed! The nine tails within her must be regenerating…"_

"um… I'll be okay right…? The look you have is scaring me." She interrupted.

He quickly pushed her worries aside with a carefree smile "You'll be just fine." With a final pat the bandage was set.

"…Master, Mr. sensei, sir…" Tazuna finally got up the courage to speak. "I… have something I need to say… about the request I made to your village. As you guessed, this is more dangerous than you were led to believe. There's a real scary man who wants to see me dead… a real scary man." The old man put emphasis on the last words. "he's a billionaire, in the field of marine transportation. His name is Gato."

The white haired jonin looked shocked. "Gato?! You mean Gato shipping and transportation…? They say he's the riches man alive!" Tazuna nodded his head in confirmation "he's only a business man on the surface. He's actually a ruthless, murdering criminal who employ's ninja to do his dirty work. Also the tiny man traffic's in drugs and contrabands on the side lines. He does anything to get to the top!" the topic was starting to get tense. "it wasn't until a year ago when he set his sights on the land of waves, at first everyone was convinced he was a simple business man until lives started being taken… he has all the big shipping companies in the land and is getting more every week… but once the bridge is built, the country will no longer need Gatos water shipping's"

Sakura pondered this "and as the builder and architect of the bridge you are forcing him to go out of business!"

Sasuke looked back at the tied up ninja "So they work for Gato…"

Their little blonde nodded her head, not quite understanding but trying her best to keep up.

"if you knew you were the target of a ruthless business man… than why didn't you tell us, when you asked for our help?" Kakashi questioned, still confused.

Tazuna didn't answer for a few seconds. "… The land of waves isn't a very rich land, even the locals are poor… so I simply couldn't afford a B-ranked elite ninja. But if you all turn away from me now, I'll be dead for sure… but…" his grim expression switched to a grin. "But oh well! That isn't any of your problem! I mean sure my daughter and ten year old grandson will forever cry! And don't even mind when my daughter vows a revengence on all ninja and your country! Heck it's not your fault!"

Kakashi sighed in frustration "I guess it can't be helped! Don't worry we'll continue to protect you until we return to your village."

Tazuna tried his very best to keep his grin down _"sucker…"_

"Oh Whoa! The bridge is huge!" The little blonde was esstatic at seeing the bridge. "Shh! You're gonna get us caught!" the boat driver whispered harshly to the little idiot. Covering her mouth her eye's sparkled at the new sights. Evergreens cluttered the clear water's giving it a welcome feeling.

The boat softly puttered up next to a dock, "Sorry Tazuna this is as far as I go! Be careful…" the man looked down dejected. "Hey don't worry, you did a lot more than wanted. Thank you" They both nodded a goodbye to each other before the boats rutter started and took off in the opposite direction.

Naruko looked beside her at the bored looking Uchiha. _"this is it! Sasuke's not gonna be the hero!"_ on high alert she searched back and forth for any danger. "…! Over There!" she tossed a kunai in a bush. The group jumped at her voice and potential threat. A few moments of silence passed before Naruko stood up dazzling smile, pushing a strand of hair from her face. "I-uh guess it was only a mouse!" "THERE WASN'T ANYTHING THERE YOU DITZ!" Sakura shakily poked a finger at the blond. "Please! Don't play with your kunai they can be a teensy bit dangerous…" Kakashi's voice slightly shook from exasperation.

"HEY YOU LITTLE IMBECILE! DON'T SCARE US LIKE THAT!" even Tazuna was annoyed with the ditz.

Naruko only shrugged and went back to patrolling. Kakashi sensed something close by, and had pinpointed it in some near-by trees. Another shuriken whizzed by into the same tree's Kakashi was currently staring at. Seems the blonde had actually sensed it too. Her cold look was animating interrupted by Sakura, who socked her upside the head. "I SAID STOP IT!" "Oww!, But someone was in there I swear!" she defended. "You are such a liar! And you almost hurt that rabbit! You ditz!" reconizing her mistake Naruko frantically picked up the white rabbit caringly "I'M SO SORRY LITTLE BUNNY! PLEASE DON'T DIE!" Sasuke merely sighed at his teams antics _"Why am I stuck on a team of idiot's...?"_

Meanwhile as Kakashi's team goofed around he examined the white rabbit suspiciously _"It's white… it's summer, the pelt should be brown this time of year. It's obviously a substitude thats been domesticated… someone wants a fight!"_ "EVERYONE TAKE COVER!" Being the slowest to respond Naruko was knocked down by someone else. A whirling sound ripped the air above their heads. Her face was pushed into the ground by a large hand on the back of her head.

A large thunk was heard and the blade was stuck on the inside of a tree, almost splitting it open. It wasn't until she blinked that a figure stood on the handling of the enormous cleaver, back turn on them.

Naruko quickly searched the small group of people for Sasuke _"this is my chance to show I'm better than that jerk!"_ She looked up to the Uchiha holding her down. She pushed the thought aside and quickly stood up to her feet.

Kakashi was anyalizing the situation, his face lite up with recognition "Well, well… if it isn't Momochi Zabuza, the kid who ran off and left the land of mist!" 

Everyone was weary of this new person, Naruko was only preparing for a fight. _"I'm gonna get this no eye brow freak!... ready…. Steady…!"_ Before she could take off a gloved hand clenched her shoulder almost urgently. Looking up her master was holding her back "don't interfere Naruko. Give me some room… you can't take him, he's stronger than previous our attackers" Team seven gasped at their sensei when h reached for his head band that covered his left eye. "If you're as good as they say you are then I won't need to handicap myself…right?"


	13. Game Over!

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!

Chapter 12 Game Over!

The bandaged mouth assassin Zabuza stood on the handle of his cleaver back turned to the group below, one eye on the white haired jonin. "Kakashi of the Sharingan eye I presume...? If it wasn't too much trouble, but could you surrender the old man over?" Kakashi paused momentarily, but resumed shortly after.

Sasuke was shocked to no words _"The Sharingan…! The mirror wheel eye!?"_

While Naruko looked completely dumb folded _"Huh?! The Sharingan?! What's that?" _

Both teen's thoughts were interrupted by their sensei. "Pay attention. Assume the manji battle formation, protect Tazuna… stay out of the fight all of you. That's the type of teamwork that's needed at this time…. And now Zabuza… shall we?"

An ugly jagged scar slid straight down the left side of his face. But the scar wasn't what Naruko couldn't look away from. _"What's… what's up with his eye?!"_ red consumed his

"Ahh… to face the legendary mirror eye so early in our acquaintance…"Zabuza mused, somewhat enthusiastically.

Getting fed up with being left in the dark Naruko finally asked "what is this Sharingan? Mirror wheel? I don't understand!"

Sasuke was the first to speak "… shinobi who have the Sharingan… have master a form of ocular ninjutsu, it enables them to penetrate or see through any illusion or spell… and to reflect the power of the magic's they penetrate back at the ones who cast them. It's a master required technique… and there's more"

Naruko was taken back by the last part. "There's more? Like what?" she was genuinely interested, which was a rare thing.

Zabuza let out a low chuckle "Exactly…the most important thing to the Sharingan mirror wheel eye is its unique ability to copy the opponent's technique and use it against them" the killer assassin seemed excited. "When I was with Kirigakure, I possessed a bingo book, a write up of who's who in our enemy's ranks… there was quite a bit of information on you Kakashi… the man who had copied over one thousand techniques. The one and only copy-cat ninja Kakashi Hatake" both men stared down the other.

Sakura heavily blushed _"Sensei...? But… he and old man Hokage… are they really that amazing?"_

Naruko's eyes lit up with a new found admiration for her sensei. "H- He's so cool!"

While Sasuke eyed their master suspiciously. _"But… the Sharingan eye is only acquired to a small number of people within the Uchiha clan… could he be…?"_

"Enough. As pleasant as the lesson was, the time for talk is over. I'm on a very tight schedule to polish off the old man." Zabuza lazily explained.

Tazuna found none of this pleasant at all. Scheduling his time of death was an uneasy thing to take in.

Sensing the need, team-seven jumped into battle formation surrounding the old man, kunai in hands.

Zabuza sighed "Well Kakashi… Looks like I'm going to have to kill you first right?" Casually jumping from the handle of the cleaver, Zabuza used his elbow to push on the hilt of his weapon. Easily pulling the jammed cleaver from the trunk, without any effort.

And just like that he disappeared in a cloud of smoke from their sights. Only to show up on the surface of the lake, water encircling him.

The easily impressed Uzumaki pointed like a child "Is anyone else seeing this?! He's walking on water!"

Both of her teammates glared at her, she gulped nervously.

With a single hand sign Zabuza disappeared in a cloud of mist, leaving behind confusion and fear.

"The finest of the ninja arts… the Kirigakure jutsu."

"He'll attack me first… Momochi Zabuza is a famous master for his silent killing. Letting your guards down buys you a direct trip to heaven. I haven't mastered very aspect of the Sharingan eye… so be on your toes." Kakashi warned.

The group all nodded their heads in understanding.

A cloud of mist engulfed the entire land scape making everything harder to see. "WHATS UP WITH THIS FOG!?" The blonde genin bluntly demanded. _**"There are eight targets…" **_a chill went up everyone's spine at the sound of his voice. _**"… Throat, spinal column, lungs, liver, the jugular vein, the subclavian artery, kidney, heart! so much choices, what vital, vulnerable place shall I choose? Heh-heh"**_

Without anyone's knowledge Kakashi had made a couple of hand signs of his own.

The atmosphere got thick with an indescribable feeling. Sasuke's kunai shook in his hand, trying his best to focus on his surrounding's than his fear. _"This blood thirst…if I blink he'll kill me! I can't stay like this for long; I'm gonna to lose it... My life is in the palm of his hand… I hate it!" _Noticing the Shaking Naruko slapped the back of his hand with hers, her other still holding the kunai in her hand in defense. This got his attention "Man, Sasuke… calm down you're making me uncomfortable." "That's right Sasuke; even if he gets me I'll still protect all of you. I will never let my comrades die!"

That put everyone at ease… _**"I wouldn't bet on that…"**_

In a haze of mist Zabuza appeared inside the group, crouching with his back turned on his real target, Tazuna. In the confusion Kakashi had also appeared, in front of the bandaged ninja with a kunai in the pit of his gut.

In through the action Naruko had found herself sprawled out on the ground dumb folded. Her keen ears picked up on dripping sounds; she looked over at the only two standing figures. Kakashi twisted the blade harshly, drawing water instead of blood. The obvious fake burst into a puddle of water, the white haired jonin looked unfazed.

"SENSEI! BEHIND YOU!" the blonde genin's warning was too late.

Kakashi was hacked across his mid abdominal, splitting him in two. Zabuza looked rather pleased with himself… until the blood turned clear. _"What…? He was able to copy me in this mist?"_

The blade of a kunai teasingly touched Zabuza's jugular, "Game over"

The black haired man let out a low dark chuckle. "You honestly think mimicking me like an ape is gonna defeat me…? It'll take a lot more than that… a lot more"


	14. Ninja!

Disclaimer: I don't own squat!... All of everything belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!

Chapter 13 Ninja!

Tazuna sat in front of the two extremely skilled ninja. The three teens and the old man were frozen with fear; the two skilled elite ninja seemed to not be bothered by the watchful eyes of the people around.

"You're good I'll give that! In the short time you managed to copy my water clone technique… and making it say something you would've said yourself, you ensured all my attention would be focused on it… while you yourself used the Kirigakure technique of hiding in the mist, watching my every move!... too bad for you…"

His voice carried behind Kakashi. "I'm not so easy to fool."

Zabuza swung his blade only to slice air. Recovering fast, he kicked the crouching jonin in the abdominal. Sending him flying, right into a nearby lake.

All of team seven gasped in horror. "MASTER…!"

Zabuza was about to give chase when he spotted the caltrops at his feet. A smirk hidden behind his bandaged face, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Kakashi struggled to stand on the surface of the water making only little effort. _"Why is the water so heavy…?"_

_**Art Of The Water Prisoner!**_

His surprised expression was mirrored in his student's faces. _"It… was a trap?! Thought I could regroup underwater! But he already took precautions! I had completely underestimated him!" _

The ball of water that encircled Kakashi swirled and swished with an array of blue chakra. From the inability to move his arms and legs he knew any attempt at escape would prove futile.

Zabuza stood next to the prisoner of water, with a smug look. "You're getting in the way of my target, I'll get to you when I'm done here… just sit back and relax til than…"

_**Art Of The Water Doppelganger!**_

A dripping copy of the bandaged ninja rose out of the water limply.

To petrified to move Naruko could only stare and watch as the new turn of events unfolded.

"Heh-heh-heh… little ninja wannabe. Trying so hard to fit in, even wearing a hitai-ate head band. But a true ninja is one who crossed and re-crossed the lands of the living and the dead. We **real** ninja don't call your **kind** ninja… your all nothing but a bunch of spoiled-"

The blond skidded across the ground from the collision of the unexpected kick; head band being the target. "Brats…" the original Zabuza finished.

Sakura stood closer to Sasuke, too afraid to say anything. "Naruko…!" Sasuke surprised himself at the outburst same with his pink haired teammate, but just ignored it seeing as there was more pressing matters at hand.

"Everyone, listen! Take Tazuna and go! It's a fight you can't win! There's a certain distant that his shadow clone can't go unless he breaks the prisoner! So get out of here!" Their white haired master panicked.

The water clone stood only mere inches away from the panting blonde. Her eye's quickly scanned the area between them, to find her head band at his feet.

"_Master's right! I have to get away! I can't just lie here!"_ She pushed the guilt of losing the head band out of her head. _"I have to run! If I don't he'll kill me!"_

Spinning on her hands and knees she was halted by a throbbing pain in her left hand. A questioning expression crossed her face before realization hit her.

"**I swear it… with the pain in my left hand… I swear no one's ever going to save me ever again! Sasuke won't have to save me ever again!-"**

The image of a smirking Sasuke flooded her thoughts.

"**You need help… scaredy-cat?"**

"**I'll be the hero!"**

A foreign memory of Iruka standing in front of the blonde holding his head band; which he had passed onto her for graduation.

"**Congratulation's graduate!"**

Smiling Kakashi.

"**Pass!"**

"**I will be the next Hokage! Believe it!"**

She stood quickly tying her fallen hair into a fast ponytail. A new look of determination gracing her childish features. "NO! STOP YOU FOOL!" Kakashi practically pleaded.

She sped forward ignoring her masters yelling's. "NARUKO! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!" Sakura clutched the Uchiha's shoulder tightly, while Sasuke himself stared in disbelief at the idiotic blonde.

As expected she was sent skidding backwards towards her two teammates, landing at their feet.

Sakura was the first to comment. "WHAT THE HECK DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?! YOU LITTLE IDIOT! WE'RE NOT EXPERIENCED ENOUGH TO-"She was silenced by the sight of the object in her hand. _"Her Hitai-ate leaf head band…?"_

Her blonde bangs clung to her forehead in sweat. A smile played at her lips, though how bloody they looked. "Hey…! How does it feel… to not have eyebrows, Freak?"

The man glared hard at the chuckling Uzumaki.

"Got a new listing for your bingo book right here! A chick how's going to be the next Hokage of Konohagakure village."

With two snaps from rubber bands her original ponytails were restored, her head band tied underneath the two tufts of hair.

"Uzumaki Naruko! Remember it, cause it's gonna be famous!"

Tazuna was impressed by Naruko's new found determination. _"At our first meeting… I thought she was just a spoiled inconsequential little ditz…! Guess that's not the case"_

Without looking back the blonde called back towards the onyx eyed male. "Hey Sasuke… listen up! There's something I want to tell you."

"Yeah?... what is it?" he answered back.

"I have a plan."

The Uchiha smirked at the unpredictable nature of the blonde. _"__**Now**__ she has a plan? Hn that's a surprise…"_ "Time to use team work huh?"

Sakura was in a state of complete disbelief at the moment _"Wha-what? Naruko was scared out of her wits only a moment ago!... She changed in a short amount of time."_

The blonde spared a glance over her shoulder, goofy grin right on cue. "Yep! So let's go then..."

Once again turned to Zabuza "Let's get busy baby!"


	15. 14 and 15

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Everything belong to Masashi Kishimoto! Seriously it's a good manga! Look it up!

Chapter 14 

"Let's get busy baby!" The blonde wore a cocky smirk.

"Heh-heh… you seem awfully sure of yourself… do you really think you stand a chance against me?" the water clone asked. Receiving only the same smirk as a response.

"What's the matter with you?! I told you to leave! The fight was over the moment he caught me! Don't jeopardize the mission! We still have to protect Tazuna!" he tried to appeal to their sensible instincts.

Half hopeful, the blonde turned back at the vacant old man "Gramp's…?"

"What? Let's face facts, I got us into this mess by lying… I've had a real long life, and it would be wrong to let you four kids get yourselves killed trying to protect me." Even with the nervous feeling bubbling within him, he stilled managed a grin. "So you go ahead… give this fight all you've got!"

Sasuke smirked, "Hn… so that's it"

The blonde grinned brightly at the black haired boy. "Are you ready for this?"

"heh.. heh-heh… heh-heh-heh…"It started off low but slowly got louder, Zabuza's laugh was one of the most spin chilling thing's ever heard by human ear's.

"Apparently you don't care about living or getting older…"

"What?!" Naruko was started to get irritated by this man's creepy… everything! His weapon of choice, no shirt, his creepy laugh, and the weird bandages over his mouth… but what really ticked her off was the fact that he had no eye brows! Really! Who isn't born without them!"

Her inner monolog was interrupted by the very person she was currently dissecting in her head.

"Playing at being a ninja like it's a child's game… I, however… by the time I was your age, had already submerged these hand's in my enemies blood!"

She inaudibly gulped.

"The demon Zabuza!" Kakashi glared at the man standing next to his prison.

"Heh… I see my reputation precedes me."

"Long ago… in the village hidden in the mist, also known as The village of bloody mist… the final step to becoming a ninja was the most inhumanly difficult test imaginable" Naruko noted the disgust in her master's voice.

"… So you've heard our little graduation exercise!" there was a smile hidden behind that bandaged mask.

"Graduation exercise...?" She questioned. Answered with only a chuckle.

"What graduation exercise!?..." she pressed.

…

"It's a kind of **killing spree** among classmates!" he smiled.

"Students who'd been friend, eating from the same dish, who shared dream's with each other… who watched over one another as undergrads were divided into pairs who were forced to fight against each other… to the death." Zabuza finished looking rather blank about the whole conversation.

"That's terrible…" Sakura finally found her voice.

"Ten years ago, the elders of the village… were forced to enact a sweeping reform of their barbaric graduation ritual… because of the appearance, during the previous year… of a human fiend who made reform essential." Kakashi's glare was absolute killing at this point.

"I don't understand, what did the fiend you're talking about do?" the pink haired girl seemed desperate to know.

Zabuza only remained quiet while Kakashi continued,

"without a moment's hesitation, without any hint of a qualm… a boy who hadn't even qualified yet as a ninja… slaughtered over a hundred members of that years graduating class."

A maniac grin appeared under the bandages of his face, his eye's in happy slits. "Ah, yes the good times… I used to have such fun!"

Both Sasuke and Naruko flinched at the killing intent directed towards them.

In the blink of an eye Sasuke was knocked into the air, Zabuza beside him. An elbow crushed into his stomach. Sasuke let out a gurgled cry followed by a coughing fit of blood.

Zabuza turned to Naruko. "Time to die…"

_**Shadow clone jutsu!**_

A crowd of Uzumaki's surrounded him. Sasuke struggled to all fours watching.

"READY OR NOT!" they said in usion.

In a single moment the Naruko's were piled on the elite ninja, the next they were swatted away. Like nothing but a bunch of pests.

The blonde rolled backwards back pack clutched tightly to her chest. "SASUKE CATCH!"

The now standing Uchiha easily caught the object out of the air, the recoil pulling him frontwards into a somersault. _"So that's what she has in mind… clever girl…"_

The blades of the shuriken snapped open.

The whiskered female lopsidedly smiled.

"_**Demon Wind Shuriken! Windmill Of Shadows!"**_

The water clone raised an eyebrow "It's useless, a Shuriken doesn't work against me…"

Sasuke leaped high above, with all his might sent the gigantic blade spinning… straight at the real Zabuza.

"This time you've learned to attack me directly." The clone poof beside the shuriken and snagged it in his grasp. Unaware of the one hidden beneath the first. _"It was hidden in the shadow of the first?"_

"_There was another one!" _Both Sakura and Kakashi seemed very impressed.

It was suspenseful to watch the spinning blade about to decapitate Zabuza... almost terrifying. At the exact last moment he leaped over it "almost…"

The female pink haired teammate's face had fallen to disappointment. _"No use…"_

A very faint smirk appeared on Sasuke's blood stained lips.

The Shuriken disappeared in a cloud of smoke, taking its place was none other than the ditz of team seven.

"_A double distraction… heh…. I guess the ditz isn't such a numbskull after all…"_

"TAKE THIS YOU EYEBROWLESS WEIRDO!"

Chapter 15 Return Of The Sharingan!

Without a second thought Naruko chucked the Kunai aiming for the elite ninja's head. Quickly avoiding the attack Zabuza pulled away from the water prison with a splash, but still getting cut just under the eye, drawing blood.

Getting frustrated from getting out smarted by kid a Zabuza's muscle's flexed in his arm "YOU LITTLE BRAT!". And a kunai was in his hand ready to be thrown at the still falling Naruko.

The kunai was stopped by another force of power.

Kakashi held the Kunai blade tightly, an evil dead look in his eye's spelled doom for the bandaged mist nin.

Naruko's head broke the surface of the water coughing; wet bang's stuck to her forehead and whiskered cheek's. "Naruko your plan was brilliant… you've all matured" Kakashi complimented. A goofy grin stretched ear to ear on her ecstatically happy face.

"Don't expect me to fall for the same trick twice Momochi… it's your move" his Sharingan quickly activated, once they both leaped apart from one another.

**TORI! SIGN OF THE BIRD!**

With a couple flips of the hands they both summoned the Water Dragon. The collision of the two dragon's going head to head pushed everyone at the shore's edge away… unfortunately for poor Naruko she was still in the water, swimming uselessly against the current. She was so close to the shore's edge when an unexpected pull from water dragged her downwards into its depth's. Her outreached hand was tightly being squeezed by another's. And soon she was at the surface gasping for air.

Zabuza dashed to the right, only to have Kakashi move to the left. In another flurry of hand sign's he raised his hand up in the air. _"He sees…"_

"…Through them all!" the elite leaf ninja finished for him.

Zabuza was trying his very best to stay calm. _"Is he… reading my mind?"_ he searched his blank face. _"damn him… he's got-"_

"-That sickeningly evil look in his eye. Right?"

"SHUT UP…! You're a pale imitation!" his minded was clouded with panic and confusion.

"I'm the genuine article! No mere copycat stands a chance against me!" both Kakashi and Zabuza said at the same time.

The eyebrowless Momochi was getting even more agitated by the confusion.

"YOU MIMIC ME LIKE A PARROT! I'LL CLOSE YOUR BEAK FOR GOOD!"

The black haired enemies eye widened at the sight of himself mirrored in his opponent. _"Is he using an Illusion?"_

_**Water Style! Waterfall Jutsu!**_

This time only one ninja did a jutsu. The coma's in Kakashi's left eye spun erractically in a circle.

Zabuza took a single step back in fear. _"Impossible...! He did it before I could finish the jutsu!"_

A giant spiral of water forcefully pushed Zabuza into the closest tree that was behind him. Not long after a couple of kunai embedded themselves into the weak man's arms.

The events had died down and Naruko found herself being supported by none other than Sasuke Uchiha. His attention was focused on the fight the whole time but he could feel her questioning eyes on him.

"Can you see the future…?" the mist ninja weakly asked.

Red eye still spinning Kakashi looked over his shoulder from his crouching position on the tree. "I foresee… your death!"

Zabuza's head rocked to the side from two rather large needles being lodged into his neck. The ends of each needle sticking out on opposite sides of his neck.

Interested to see what was going on Naruko pushed Sasuke out of the way to get a clear view, accidently knocking the Uchiha to the ground face first. blantantly ignoring what she had done she continued to watched to see if her master had done the final blow.

"heh-heh… looks like your prediction came true!"

There, 2 chapters in 1! Well… I'm actually considering on making this into a Naruko harem… not sure… honestly juggling the affections of males are hard. But just idk vote yes or no…


	16. Who are you?

Disclaimer: everything belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!

Chapter 16 Who Are You?

Kakashi checked the man's pulse tentatively _"he's dead…"_ he turned back to the intruder. Naruko herself stared in awe at the newcomer with admiration _"So… cool!"_

"Thank you for your help. I hope you don't mind my interfering… but I wanted to put Zabuza out of his misery myself!" he humbly bowed.

"The mask is familiar… correct me if I'm wrong… but aren't you a shinobi hunter from the village hidden in the mist?" Kakashi was suspicious of this very skilled boy, and why not? A highly feared assassination ninja was easily killed by a very young boy… who hadn't even looked much older than Naruko herself.

The boy chuckled a bit, "My aren't you clever…"

Looking at the dead body of Zabuza, than at the boy, realization of the situation finally sank in. During her staring, the strangely designed masked boy stood awkwardly.

"Who are you…?" was her plain question.

Even though it had seemed a plain enough question, the tone of her voice seemed to have quite the effect on the long banged individual.

"Kakashi… how's this kid able to take down Zabuza like it was a stroll in the park… and for us it was…." Sasuke didn't finish he's sentence, but merely glared at the young hunter ninja.

Sensing another fight Kakashi casually walked towards Naruko and Sasuke, patting the both of them on the head. "I sympathize with you… Heh but trust me when I say this, there are people who are both younger than me and stronger than you…" The Uchiha seemed to absorb this information with distain, while the blonde headed female stared… deep in thought for once.

Somewhere in Kakashi's talking the masked teen stood crouched next to the dead body of Zabuza, lifting his arms over his shoulders. "Your battle is done for now… I must dispose of the body, lest it give secrets to our foes… I must be off"

In a cloud of smoke he disappeared with the body of their dead enemy. Even when he left Naruko stood and stared at the spot the boy had left… she was most confused out of everyone in the group. _"Do… do we suck?"_

"Now we have to escort Mr. Tazuna back to his village! Let's get to it!" Kakashi seemed unfazed by the earlier life or death situation. "But master! You shouldn't be walking around!" Sakura was concerned of her master's well-being. "Oh don't worry I've been through worse befo-!" just like a limp noodle the white haired jonin fell to the ground, not even able to finish his sentence. _"Damnit…! Must have used the Sharingan too much… so… tired…"_

"EH?! THIS IS WHY I NEVER THINK! I MISS OUT ON ALL THE GOOD STUFF! WHAT HAPPENED TO MASTER?!" the blonde screamed excitedly.

Somewhere else

"Hmm… let's see… I should probably remove the mouth bandaged so the blood could drain…" clippers in hand the masked hunter ninja reached out towards Zabuza's face. Coming within an inch of him, the boys hand was in the killer grip of a seething Zabuza. "Enough! I can do it myself…"

The boy chuckled quietly "Well now… awake already?"

Back with Naruko…

After getting Tazuna's house the teens of team seven were formally introduced to Tsunami Tazuna's 28 year old daughter, and quickly sent out to buy groceries. Which both Uchiha and Uzumaki declined on first demand. But were quieted down by their pink haired teammates reasoning's.

"Man! We were hired to bodyguard! Not play house nanny!" Naruko yelled in the middle of the dirt road. Gathering the attention of people around them.

Her irritation may have also been caused by the exhaustion of two big sacks of food she carried. A glared cursed the two light plastic bags Sasuke and Sakura carried. "WHY AM I STUCK WITH THE LARGE BAG'S?!"

Sasuke scoffed "idiot… we're the oldest…"

"Oh…." She was confusedly content with his answer.

During her thinking both teammates went up ahead, leaving her in thought.

"HEY! SAS-!" her sentence was cut short by an unexpected collision with another person.

"Ugh… that was unexpected… hey, you okay?" The boy gave her a deadly glare. Quickly gathering the food around her, Naruko thought it best not to beat the boy for looking at her wrong. "O-kay... I'll just be on my way than…!" more men appeared circling her, stepping on any food out of reach. "HEY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!? GET OFF!" "No one messes with my brother!" Naruko assumed that the obnoxious idiot was the eldest… like she had the rite to call someone an idiot.

"Excuse me…" a soft voice rang.

Almost immediately the men that had been causing chaos were fidgeting uncomfortable with blushes. "… But why are you tormenting this young girl?"

Naruko looked to the source of the voice, only to find one of the most-prettiest girls she had ever seen in her entire life. In her own opinion, this new girl was much pretty than a certain pink haired teammate.

The men that were picking on her also thought the mysterious stranger was pretty. "What's it to ya girly?" the eldest idiot asked.

For some odd reason a peaceful smile graced her face, accenting her delicate features. "I just think it wrong to gang up on someone for no particular reason… if you would, please leave." The gang of men laughed "Give us a good reason to leave!"

Again the eldest tried to take charge while the others sat back and observed stupid grins plastered on each of their faces. The man stood merely a few feet in-front of the black haired girl. His tall stature giving him the defiant height advantage.

Sensing a threat the girl scowled darkly, hand snaking into her basket she carried.

Before she could blink the man was sent flying sideways head first in the gravel. The little blonde suddenly stood in-front of the black banged girl grin stretching ear to ear. "You have to tell me what shampoo you use! Your hair looks so soft and silky! I know this may be a strange a strange request but…" for the first time Naruko was hesitant, but was quickly over come with a determined look. "Can I touch your hair?!" the girl blushed heavily from embarrassment.

With Naruko's two teammates

Sasuke was walking back to where they last seen her. _"Little idiot… can't turn your back on her without her doing something stupid!"_ As if the world was set out to prove him right he found the blonde he was looking for, hand's lightly touching the ends of a blushing girly looking boy's hair. He hadn't even noticed the scattered crushed food at their feet right now he was incredibly irritated. The main focus of his irritation being the blonde and her idiocy. _"Moron…"_ his hand latched onto a pigtail a top her head, without a warning he jerked roughly. A surprised yelp escaped her.

"What!? Who dares?!... SASUKE YOU JERK! THAT HURTS! LEGGO!" The Uchiha yanked harder on the handful of hair. "you little ditz… you made me walk all the way back here to look for you… only to find you goofy off with all the food smashed…" most of the time Naruko wasn't scared of Sasuke but the shadow covering his eyes, spelled something sinister for her. "…Oops…?"

Last thing the girly boy saw was the blonde getting dragged away by her pigtail, begging for the Uchiha to stop. Somewhere in between her pleading, she slapped on a giant grin and waved bye to her new friend "See ya around big sis!"

When the rambunctious blonde was finally out of sight he frowned. _"She's really cute…"_

Okay so there you go! After how long? Well I might as well start saying this again… if you don't like than don't read! Jeeze! Reading it up to chapter 13 and telling me you don't like it! You should know better to stop if you don't like it!

And to those who actually like to read for the sake of reading THANK YOU! I love you guys!


	17. Preparation

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!

Chapter 17 Preparing For Battle!

Kakashi sat up on the cot he was resting on, deep in thought.

Naruko was fidgeting anxiously, never one to sit and wait quietly. "Hmm… So? What's wrong Master Kakashi?"

He didn't answer, only slap his forehead. This action startled the people around him. "Of course…! The shinobi hunters who manage corpse disposal are supposed to destroy the bodies!"

"So what?" Sasuke stated, of course it was basic knowledge for any hunter ninja to destroy the bodies… right on the spot! If not for his self-control he would've face-palmed. _"damnit! How could I overlook something so vital?! The ditz is rubbing off on me!"_

"How did the kid in the mask dispose of the body?"

"Don't know, he took off with it." Sakura answered. Sasuke already knew the answer… while Naruko was just trying to keep up.

"Yes, he did… even though all he needed to take home as proof was the head! Another thing was his choice of weapon! Senbons… needles initially used for medical purposes"

Sakura's changed expression puzzled the Uzumaki.

"_I DON'T GET IT!"_ the whiskered blond was about ready to pull her hair out.

"It's quite possible… Zabuza is still alive."

That was the last straw for Naruko, first she didn't understand what the weapon had to do with anything and now Zabuza's alive. Well it must be true since everyone seemed so sure themselves. She nodded her head slowly.

Besides, Naruko was itching for another fight with the supposed dead ninja anyway.

"If he is, than we mustn't let ourselves be caught unprepared. Preparation is a shinobi's important skill!" Surprisingly enough the little blonde shivered… but not out of fear. _"she's actually excited…"_ Kakashi was worried for the young girl.

"Sensie! How can we be prepared if your injured like this? What are you going to do?" Sakura was the only one to actually think of this.

His throaty laugh made her frown "I'll increase your training."

His answer out right stunned her "What?! Training!? Master what will a bit of extra training do for us? Compared with what we're up against!" her inner-self was demanding to know why he wanted to kill them.

"Sakura… who was it that rescued me? You three are maturing fast… Especially you Naruko, You've grown the most!"

A heavy blush spread across her usually tanned face.

Sasuke watched with a frown _"the idiot looks weird…"_

"That being said… the skills I'll teach you will be an interim thing only, to tide us over until I recover enough to take over…"

"But master! Even if Zabuza is alive, how can we train without knowing when he might show up?" obviously Sakura still had her doubts.

"Shinobi hunters must have some knowledge of human physiology, it would be easy for them to put someone into a near death trance. It would take a while for a person to return to normal after such an experience" Kakashi explained.

"So we'll be training while we're waiting? Could be fun!" she was pumped and ready for anything.

"Well it's not going to fun for **you**" the atmosphere of the room swiftly changed. An expressionless boy stood at the entrance of the house.

"Who the heck are you!" the hyper blond demanded rather than asked.

"Inari! Greet our guest's properly, their the esteemed ninja that brought grandfather back home."

The boy Inari gave the group a long hard stare. "But mama their all gonna die."

The calm expression the boy wore both irritated and disturbed Naruko. "LISTEN, YOU LITTLE TWERP-!"

"no one can beat Gato and his men…" he interrupted.

"YOU BRAT-!" Sakura clung to the girls arm, preventing her from causing any harm to the insolent child. "Pull yourself together Naruko! He's just a kid!"

"Right! Listen up kid! I'm a hero who'll someday become the hokage! I'm not scared of anyone!"

Inari scoffed at the girl "Hero? Are you dumb? There no such thing. Grow up!"

"WHAT?!—" "NARUKO I SAID STOP!"

He turned to walk away "Inari where are you going?" his grandfather sounded rejected from the lack of attention. "I'm just going to my room to watch the ocean." With his piece said the gloomy child left.

"please forgive him…"

Naruko disliked the boys lack of imagination. "Oh! I'm gonna give that little jerk such a hit!"

Naruko stood in-front of the door she was looking for.

Hoping to scare him out of his wits she opened the door only a crack to see Inari shaking bending over something clutched in hands. She was only hoping to find him standing alone in his room looking out watching the ocean, like he had said. Not find… this!

His tiny body wracked with dry sobs. "Daddy!" soft and whispered but the effect it left on Naruko was powerful.

She closed the door behind her, lingering in the spot for only a few seconds before heading straight back down to her group. For once she was sorry for someone else.

Next day…

"So, it's settled the new training regimen begins today!"

"YEAH!" the female ninja yelled excitedly.

Actually it was 5 am in the morning, her yelling made no one happy not even the man teaching them.

"But first… lets discuss the basis of ninja powers… the body energies known as chakra."

And just like that, Naruko's expression changed from excited to completely clueless. "Uh… right… chakra, what's that again?"

"AND YOU CALL YOURSELF A NINJA!? DID YOU SLEEP THROUGH EVERY CLASS WE TOOK?!" Sakura was baffled, but angry.

"Uh... Let's just say I've got some much needed super sleep"

"Okay! Naruko listen up! The lovely intelligent Sakura will make this as simple as possible!" Now Naruko knew that simple to Sakura was not the same as her simple. "Lovely intelligent Sakura…?"

First she went into her long lecture of how the human body was made up of trillions of cells. From there on it escalated into an even more complicated explanation. First step into the lesson Naruko was about ready to fall flat on her face from boredom.

"Very good Sakura! Iruka taught you well." Kakashi complimented his smart student.

"Yeah, Yeah Whatever! Just show me how to do it and I'll learn." The blond easily dismissed Sakura's long lesson.

"Naruko's right, we already employ the art's and techniques—"

"Wrong!" The one eyed jonin cut off Sasuke. "none of you has the full mastery of your chakra… but this is what the extra training is for…"

"Hmph! Well tell us than oh great ninja what we're here for." Naruko's sarcasm was ignored.

"I'm here to teach you how to control the chakra that's inside all of you..."

"Well?! What are we gonna do?!" now everyone was impatient.

"We'll be tree climbing!"


	18. Training Day!

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Everything belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!

Chapter 18 Training Day

"CLIMB TREE'S?!" Naruko's eye's bulged out of her head.

"That's right…" the white haired jonin answered calmly.

"_Man! What a waste of time-!"_ both Sakura and she wore the same questioning expressions, while Sasuke looked as indifferent as ever.

"But there's a catch…" he continued. "… You won't be allowed to use your hands!"

"_Sounds like fun!"_ the simple blond was excited again.

"Observe…" Kakashi made a few hand sign's and in no time was walking up the side of the tree. Still using his crutches he looked down at his students like nothing. "WOW! WOW! WOW! THAT'S SO COOL!"

"Remember… being in control of your chakra will open more doors for you in the future. Focus on the soles of your feet and you could do what I just done." His hand reached into his side pocket, unsheathing three kunai. He threw the dangerous weapons at the ground in front of each of them. "Seeing as most of you do action instead of lectures… why not get started?"

Predictably the blond was the first to charge at the large tree… and was the first to fall, on her head.

Sasuke watched the whole scene, thoroughly thinking of a strategy. He was next to go. Makin up only four feet before the wood crunched under foot. He leaped away, leaving a slash in the tree to mark the place.

Still holding the back of her head Naruko rolled on the ground in agony from the hit. "OW! DAMN THAT HURT!"

"_There's a big difference between Naruko and Sasuke...!"_ "Hey! This is easy!" Kakashi's thoughts were cut off by Sakura's proud accomplishment.

"Well now, we know which of you has the best control of their chakra. Good work Sakura…"

The black haired boy didn't spare a glance, while Naruko was completely amazed. "WOW! SO COOL SAKURA!" even though feeling jealous she was still happy for her teammate.

The green eyed female was disappointed by the lack of attention from her object of affection. _"I wanted to impress Sasuke… not the easily amused ditz!"_

"Well…! Understanding the use of one's chakra and successfully using them… quite a big step so far… Sakura is probably the one closest to overtaking our leader, lord Hokage… despite all of Naruko's boasts and aspiration's…" Kakashi commented. Said blond growled at her superior. "And the finest hope of the Uchiha clan doesn't seem too impressive, either." The boy harshly glared at this.

"Master Kakashi how you say that?!" she couldn't care less about Naruko, but the last thing she needed was to be compared against her Sasuke. He would never like her.

A stare down between Uzumaki and Uchiha signified a rivalry, unspoken but powerful. _"There's no way I'm losing to a girl..!"_ Sasuke declared.

"_I'm gonna catch up with Sasuke! And win!"_ With new vigour both young teens started for their trees once again.

In another place

Haku sat next to Zabuza's bed placing the newly acquired ingredients from town onto the table. When suddenly the door slammed open to reveal Gato and two of his bodyguards, smirking. "Well, you have a lot a gut's showing up here after a beating like that… the mist ninja appear to be vastly overrated." The 4 footed man taunted.

Zabuza lay in bed, not caring about anything that was coming out of his mouth. This angered Gato greatly. Making his way over towards the immobilized mans bed; he reached outwards towards his neck. "Nothing to say for yourself? Too weak for a last word?"

Before he could touch the man's throat, Gato found his wrist being twisted and gripped tightly.

"Don't you dare touch lord Zabuza with your filth!" Haku wasn't looking at him but the glasses wearing shrimp knew he was speaking to him. "Why you little brat!"

The two guards behind them charged. And just like that the young boy stood between the two men their own swords aimed at them. "You don't want to do that… when I'm angry!" it was whispered but the effect it had on all three men sent fear coursing through them all.

Gathering the last of his pride Gato ordered his men for a retreat, and sent a meaningless threat to both of them.

"…Haku there was no need for your meddling…" The bandaged ninja placed the Kunai back in its pouch.

"I know… but it's far too soon to kill Gato, we don't want any attention drawn to ourselves… or else we'll be on the run again from **them **again" the emphasis on the word them didn't go unnoticed by Zabuza.

"Fine then… troublesome brat…!"

Haku smiled kindly at the rude comment. "Zabuza I met a girl… she was cute!" deciding to lighten the mood, he changed the subject.

The famed demon sighed, annoyed. "I know… and like I said last time, I Don't Care!"

Back with our favorite heroin

Yet again Naruko had unsuccessfully attempted another climb, only to be rejected and cast down onto her head, (by what she would call) the universe out to get her.

Sakura sat at the base of her tree huffing from exhaustion. _"Holy! They can go on for ever!"_ Seeing as Sasuke was Sasuke she expected as much, but for Naruko to actually keep going… she was in awe of the blond.

"_Even though she's still going, she hasn't improved as much as my Sasuke! But I bet she'll throw a tantrum any time now!"_ on Queue Naruko kicked her trees jutting root, yelling a profanity nothing.

"_She's so predictable, it's pathetic!"_

"Hey! Sakura… could you help out a girl?" Naruko uncharacteristic request surprised the all-knowing Sakura.

Kakashi stood off to the side watch with interest as his students conversed with one another. _"So she's finally learning… wonder how strong that little girl will become… if only she knew the immense amount of power that she holds, that could dwarf both me and Sasuke's…that would certainly be a marvel!" _

His self-reflection was short lived when the blond stood and shouted. "OKAY! LET'S DO THIS AGAIN!"

"_And just like that… she ready to keep trying…"_

Hey guys trying to get as much chapters in before something interesting happens and I'm occupied! Well Kakashi had a rule-the-world moment there for a second but nothing like a good conscience to bring him back! Thanks to those who read for the sake of reading! Love guys still! 


	19. The Emblem of Courage

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Masashi Kishimoto is the genius!

Chapter 19 The Emblem of Courage

Sakura stretched and yawned loudly. "So here all by yourself?" Tazuna commented. "So where are Blondie and pretty boy?"

"Oh! Their training…" Sakura answered smugly.

"And why aren't you?" he questioned

"Because I surpassed the both of them!" she was defiantly glowing in her pride. He didn't seem surprised.

Naruko leapt away from the tree, tired but still willing to go on. Same could be said for the Uchiha, both teens never letting up, once on the ground immediately they charged at the tree again. It was a competition of who could master the tree climbing first it first.

"_Damnit! That jerk Sasuke's still climbing!"_ Dripping with perspiration the blond retied her frazzled mop into a tight ponytail. After removing her orange jacket all she stood in was her orange shorts, and black tank top. No she wasn't self-conscience about her body, wearing her jacket gave her more weight so she could feel all the more intimidating.

To Sasuke it was one of the first times seeing her without that gaudy orange jacket, _"She's… so small… tiny ditz"_ he smirked at the thought.

She charged at the tree again, this time cutting the same spot he marked. Maybe even slightly higher than his own. _"It's impossible… she was completely lost a while ago… until she talked to Sakura!"_ he finally pieced it together. "Hey Naruko…"

She was about to attempt another run when Sasuke interrupted her, leading to her tripping on herself. "DO YOU WANNA FIGHT?! STOP BREAKING MY CONCENTRATION!" "Uh…well..." Sasuke rethought his plan over in his head. "I… wanted to know what Sakura told you…"

A giant grin slithered across her face. _"Is he blushing?! Ha! I know something he doesn't! Hmm… maybe I could tell him! He seems to be slowing down! I want to win fairly!"_ "Okay Uchiha I'll tell you! I don't want to win by default! Come here! I can't teach you if you're way over there!" he obeyed the loud girl, now standing in-front of her.

"Close your eyes and concentration really hard on your feet! Sakura told me that you have to have mental energy to do this!" he closed his eyes wondering why he was even listening to her in the first place. "Now block everything out! I'm not here… there's nothing but your chakra… and your feet…" Surprisingly enough he could feel her method working, he stood in complete darkness his feet aglow.

"ARE YOU CONCENTRATING?!"

He fell backwards like an explosion hit him. "Heh-heh… I guess not! Do it again Uchiha!" He was really starting to regret even asking her.

Later on at Tazuna's house…

"Boy this is real fun! I can't remember the last time I had a meal with so many people before!" Tazuna gleefully declared. Ignoring the two starving teens while they shoved their faces into their bowls.

"MORE PLEASE!" they finished their 9th bowls at the same time. Another glared shared between the both of them.

Suddenly a recognizable green tinted Naruko's tanned face, Sasuke would have moved away for fear of being thrown up on again if not for the bubbling in his own stomach.

Coincidentally at the same time their stomachs wrenched themselves of the unnecessary overload of food together.

"STOP EATING IF YOU'LL JUST HURL IT BACK UP!" Sakura scolded her idiotic teammates.

"No… I wanna eat…" Sasuke wiped his mouth. Naruko did the same but smiled "because even if we make ourselves sick to do it, we have to eat if we want to get stronger!"

Kakashi shook his head in disagreement _"whatever it takes… but throwing up is another thing!"_

Once all food was eaten, and stomachs were settling Sakura stood up and walked towards a hung portrait. The boy in the photo smiled brightly, grandfather and mother crouched beside him. A hand lay atop the boy's head, the rest of the person missing from the picture… almost as if it was torn out on purpose.

"Um… why is this picture torn? Little Inari was looking at this the whole time we were having dinner… there's another person?" she treaded lightly on the unknown subject.

An uncomfortable silence sung in the room before Tsunami spoke "It was Inari's father…" "… Once upon a time, if you will… our entire city called him a hero…" her father spoke shortly after.

The screech of the chair against the floor surprised everyone. Without an expression, or even a word Inari left.

"**Father** I've told you time and again! Not to mention that in front of my son!" Tsunami was horrified by her father's lack of secrecy on the tender topic.

"…So you're talking about it makes Inari act so strangely…?" Sakura seemed confused. Weren't heroes suppose-to-be good?

"The man in the picture was not Inari's birth father… but they were as loving and as close as any biological father and son had been. Inari was such a happy laughing child back then…" the old man's voice shook with emotion. Naruko raised her head curiously.

"But then Inari changed… after what happened to his father…"


	20. The Village That Had a Hero!

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Everything belong to Masashi Kishimoto!

Chapter 20 The land that had a hero…!

Old man Tazuna sat at the table retelling the old story of a young child that lost his most important person.

"This is my dog now! His name is shooting star!"

"He's not a shooting star! He's my puppy! Give him back!" Inari struggled against the stronger boy's frantically.

"SHUT UP!" the boy grinned evilly at a thought. With a splash the fought over pup was thrown into the ever moving waves.

"PUPPY!" Inari horrified by the heartless action.

"Hn… that's what you get for not listening to me! Who cares any it's only a stupid dog."

"YOU CAN'T JUST DROWN HIM!" he was on the verge of tears.

"… Well then? Go and rescue him…" Inari stared at the ocean fear tearing him at his very core. _"I… I can't swim… I'm sorry puppy! I can't help you…! Useless!"_

"Well what are you waiting for? Go save him!" the boy kicked Inari back, sending him into the thrashing waves below. Inari broke the surface coughing, desperately trying to get air. "Someone!-**cough!**-Help me!- **gasp! Cough!**"

Stunned and scared themselves the boy's on the dock booked it from the scene leaving a begging Inari to die.

The dog he had once called his best friend swam around the still drowning boy. The near death experience teaching the dog how to swim. _"Is this how I'm going to die?! I'm sorry puppy!"_

"You awake son?" Inari heard the voice as clear as crystal. He groggily sat up, wondering what had happened. _"Who's that…? God? No… "_ "Did… Did you rescue me mister?"

"Yep! And those kids won't pick on you again! Here come and eat!" Inari sat and ate beside his rescuer quietly eating the handed fish.

"… You must've had it rough; even you're dog left you. Where I come from dog's are loyal and you can count on them… but seeing as how you let him down first it's understandable."

Guilty of his actions the child stopped eating and stared at the fire. "…I wanted to save him… But I was to scared! I was just a coward…!" he cried silently.

A rough but reassuring hand rested on his head. "Of course… any kid your age would've been terrified! But just remember… one day when you do become a man, you have to walk a road that won't leave you with regrets!" Inari was confused.

"If something is precious to you… no matter how painful or how hard it seems, no matter what it may cost you, you have to hang in there… and protect it with all the strength you've got, even at the risk of your own life!" he explained.

The boy was in awe, "If you do that, then even if you die in the attempt, at least the world will be left with the proof that a man worth living had died! It'd be like your legacy… Right?!" The man made a big goofy grin that brought a grin to Inari's own grim face.

His name was Kaiza. He was a fisherman who came here from aboard to seek his fortune. From that day they grew closer and closer. It probably had something to do with Inari's father passing away before he was born. But he stuck to Kaiza like white on rice. They were always together like father and son.

And in no time Kaiza was one of the family.

He was just the kind of man this town needed more of.

"AT THIS RATE ALL OF SECTOR D WILL ALL BE FLOODED!"

"WHAT?!" Kaiza looked behind him at the man.

"DADDY!" his son was scared.

"Inari head back and get rope!" his father ordered, Inari obeyed.

"This is awful- the only way to get this gate closed is if we put a rope around the entire barrier and everyone pulled it, but…"

"Impossible! How could we get a rope around it in the first place! Anyone who goes into that torrent will be swept away and drowned!" the men fought amongst each other.

"I'll go…"

"KAIZA?!"

Inari looked up confused "daddy..?"

"don't worry Inari... daddy can do anything. Because he loves the city where his little boy lives!"

With that he was in the water fighting the strong currents.

"_If something is precious to you… then protect with all the strength you've got! Even at the risk… of your own life!_

"GO DADDY!"

People started calling Kaiza a hero, a father Inari could be proud of and hold his head up high for.

Until the gangster Gato came to town…

Beaten and mangled of his limbs Kaiza was represented to the town… smiling.

"Everyone! This man has committed acts of violence and terrorism against my company and activities! He's openly denounced our policies and tried to incite sabotage and resistance against us, and disrupted the order of this land. The penalty for these crimes is death! This shall be carried out at once!"

"DADDY!" Inari screamed.

"Inari…" Kaiza's cocky expression was replaced with a tender look.

"DADDY!"

_**But… you promised, you promised to protect me! You a liar!**_

"Ever since then the town and everyone in it has changed…" Tazuna finished. Looking older he did before he began the story.

Naruko glared at the wall behind Sasuke thinking of the wrong little Inari has went through. Her hair fell in her face when she stood. Turning towards the door to walk out she tripped, lying flat on her stomach she didn't even notice the heaviness in her legs.

"Naruko what do you think you're doing?!" Sakura yelled annoyed.

"Don't even think about training anymore today. Over working your chakra without any rest could kill you." Her master warned

"… I'm going to prove him wrong!" she quietly whispered, struggling to stand.

"Prove what? To whom?" her teammate asked.

"I'm going to show Inari… that there are still heroes in this world!" with a new drive Naruko left determined to be that hero.


	21. A Meeting in The Forest!

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!

Okay so I'll make this clear in the beginning Haku is a boy… but I'm going to call him a girl in some parts. To clear up any confusion right now

Chapter 21 A Meeting in the Forest…!

Birds sang in the morning sun urging the black tank top wearing girl to open her tired eyes. Her loud groan captured the attention of a single black haired individual.

"_It's her…"_ he reached out towards her sleeping form.

Back at Tazuna's house

"Naruko's been out all night again hasn't she?" Tazuna noticed the imbecile not among them. "Ever since you told us that story, she's been training day and night… if she exhausts her chakra she could very well be lying dead somewhere" Sakura yawned.

"I hope she's alright, she looks so fragile. And a little girl shouldn't be out in the woods out on her own." Tsunami walked in holding breakfast.

Kakashi smiled "Oh, she's not as fragile as she looks quite the opposite actually… and she might act childish sometimes but there nothing to worry about. She's a full-fledged ninja."

Sasuke was quiet but glared into his hands, a habit of lacing his fingers together in front of him. "What if the idiot actually killed herself...? that ditz." It was whispered to himself but his master caught it easily.

"Well Sasuke, if you're so worried why not go and get her for breakfast?" The teen boy gave him an annoyed glare.

Back in the forest

"Hey… you'll catch your death if you sleep outside like this"

Naruko opened her eye to see the same girl with soft hair, a smile fluttered onto her face. "… soft… hair"

A few minutes later…

"Hey, Hey have I picked enough of those herbs you wanted?!" wide awake she jumped to the black haired girl's side holding an armful of the herbs.

Without saying a word she smiled, and went back to picking. "Hey are these actually medic herbs? Cause I remember you in town and you had a basket full of the stuff like right now!"

"yes their actually quite potent… I... have to apologize for asking you to do this. I never wanted to impose." The blond brushed the apology off.

"Don't worry! That's some job you took on! Collecting herbs in the middle of a forest all on you're on!"

"Well you're one to talk, what were you doing in the middle of nowhere at the crack of dawn?" she questioned.

"Training!" Naruko jumped at the question. Haku forced a smile down at her expression _"Cute, puppy…"_

"Really? With that head band are you a ninja?" she asked.

"YEAH! I am! Can you tell?! Do I look like one? Because I am!"

"That's incredible.." They both shared a laugh at her antics.

"So what are you training for?" the black haired girl asked.

"To build my strength and become stronger!" she was a simple girl with simple answers, Haku noted.

"Really? But you already look so strong!"

"Nope! Not enough! I need to be much stronger than this!"

Now Haku was genuinely interested in the girl. "But… why…?"

Looking up at the other girl she smiled brightly "So I can be top dog in my village! All the people in my village would have to say, **She's number one ninja!** But… right now I kinda have to prove a point to someone right now!"

A serious expression replaced her clam features "… Are you doing this for the sake of that person… or for your own satisfaction?"

"What?!" the blond looked cute when she was confused.

She giggled, "What's so funny?!" she crossed her arm's over her chest and childishly pouted.

"I'm sorry… do you have anyone special?"

This surprised the young girl, a heavy blush engulfed her face. "Someone… special? Like a… like a lover?" now it was Haku's turn to blush. "Well, yeah… almost anything in general… when a person is protecting something truly precious to them… that's when a someone can become as strong as they want to be!"

Naruko was embarrassed of her naivety, of course she had people that were precious to her! Everyone had someone. Inari had his family. Naruko had the old man Hokage, Master Iruka, Sakura, Master Kakashi… and she would never say but also Sasuke!

"Yup! I know all about it!" they smiled.

Haku blushed at the cute girl, bending over he lightly pecked her whiskered cheek with a kiss. Naruko seemed surprised by the action but just kept on smiling. Haku stood and turned to walk away "You'll get stronger… until we meet again."

He stopped and turned around to look back at the still sitting blond "By the way… I'm a boy" with that said he walked away, leaving a shocked blond.

"_Whoa! Mind blower! He's so much pretty than me and Sakura!"_

Realization hit her and she touched her cheek, remembering the kiss he had given her.

A shadow hovered over her, blush still in place she didn't remove her hand from her face to look up at the figure. The silhouette revealed itself to be none other than her very first kiss. The thought of her first kiss mixed with the one just now brought even more color to her face. "Come on you dizzy ditz…!"

"WHY I'M I ALWAYS BEING KISSED WITHOUT PERMISSION?!"

The next morning: seventh day of training 

"Where did that Naruko go this time…?" Kakashi was getting awfully tired of keeping track of children.

"Not only that… at breakfast Sasuke says he's going for a walk and he ends up disappearing…" Was she worried that they both could be together right now? Of course not… it was impossible!

Just when she doubted herself a kunai struck the ground at her feet, both master and student peered up at the tree. Surprised to find a laughing female blond dangling playfully on her stomach, Sakura was stunned. _"She can climb all the way up there?!"_

The exhausted Uzumaki stood up, one foot getting caught over the other. "Uh-oh…"

Sakura screamed and closed her eyes, not wanting to watch the death of her teammate. Kakashi panicked _"No! from that height she could…! I'm not healed enough to help!"_

She fell back but did not fall, her feet remained on the branch swinging her back to look at them both. A big stupid grin spread out across her face. "GOTCHA! SUCKERS!"

Her pink haired teammate was not amused "YOU'RE AN IDIOT!" The upside down Uzumaki gave her a cheeky grin. "Oh! Come on Sakura! Learn how to take a-!"

With a poof her feet unlocked from the branch, letting her fall to her most certain doom below. "NARUKO THAT'S ENOUGH!" Kakashi knew she wasn't joking around.

Naruko felt a hand tightly clamp onto her ankle, looking upwards at an indifferent Uchiha. "SASUKE SAVE'S THE DAY! Oh he gives me shivers!" Sakura was blushing like a mad women.

Naruko noticed a blush on her saviors face, looking at herself to see her shirt was halfway up her torso. And he had a pretty good view of the white bra she wore underneath.

"NO GOOD SASUKE PERVERT!"

The next day

"!97, 198…" with both old man Tazuna and Sakura on his back Kakashi did 200 push up's _"Yes! I have most of my strength back!"_

Zabuza examined the apple in his hand, without so much as blinking an eye his hold on it tightened. The fruit exploded in his palm, leaving his hand dripping in juices. "Excellent…"


	22. The Enemies Return

Disclaimer: I do not own anything! Everything belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!

Chapter 22 The Enemies Return

Tired and exhausted Naruko clung to the very top of the tree straining to regain her breath. "Want to head back?" she looked at her companion with a big grin. "Sure!" Sasuke smirked from his own tree, standing instead of clinging.

"Sasuke! I can walk on my own-!" Just when she said that, her legs gave out from under her. Comically toppling over on her face. "… damnit…."

"Idiot, don't act tough when you can barely stand…"

Much complaining later…

Sakura was both shocked and jealous to see Naruko's arm draped over her Sasuke leaning heavily against him. _"Naruko you little sleaze!"_ her inner Sakura was fuming.

"Well, well, back from your night stroll I see!" Tazuna teased earning him an annoyed look.

"… We, the both of us…" Naruko tilted her head to the side weakly. "We made it all the way to the top." Her support finished for her.

"good, than the both of you can start protecting Tazuna tomorrow with Sakura." Kakashi smiled through his mask at his hard working students.

Naruko practically threw the Uchiha to the floor in excitement. "YEAH!"

Now they were all sitting down talking as usual… all but one.

Inari watched the dirt covered blond with building irritation, pushing the feeling back only brought memories. Tears spilled out of his eyes.

"What's wrong?" she was nonchalant about it, but was genuinely concerned.

That was the last straw, her annoying hero's attitude, now her casual demeanor of the situation everyone was in. Inari was fed up.

"WHY DO YOU WEAR YOURSELF OUT TRYING? NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRAIN, YOU'LL NEVER BE A MATCH FOR GATO'S THUGS! YOU ACT ALL COOL, AND YOU TALK ALL TOUGH… BUT BIG STRONGS GUYS LIKE THEM ARE ALWAYS TOO MUCH FOR WEAKER PEOPLE, YOU'LL BE KILLED!"

The sudden outburst was a shock to everyone, but Naruko only stared blankly at the kid. "Calm down, I'm not you and I won't lose."

"JUST WATCHING YOU TICKS ME OFF! YOU GO RUNNING YOUR MOUTH WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW A THING! THIS ISN'T YOUR TOWN! AND YOU DON'T KNOW A THING ABOUT ME, YOU'RE ALWAYS HAVING FUN AND DON'T HAVE A CARE IN THE WORLD. YOU DON'T KNOW A THING ABOUT SUFFERING OR LONEINESS!"

That last sentence seemed to have struck a cord within her. "Oh? You think it's noble to star in a melodrama and treat everyone around as guests at your pity party?" the usually hyper blonds tone was cold and venomous.

"It takes a really big man to sit around and cry, you brat!... You cry baby!"

Inari gave one last sob before Naruko stood up to leave.

Sakura grabbed the young girl's wrist to stop her "Naruko! You went too far! Apologize!" She wrenched her wrist of the older girls grip

"hmph!" everyone was left confused.

Later on…

Inari sat alone atop his roof, staring at the flickering stars above. "May I join you?" he turned to see Kakashi standing behind him, a soft look in his eyes. He said nothing, a sign the ninja took as an invitation.

"You know, Naruko is kind of a brat herself… but she wasn't trying to be mean or hateful… she just lacks finesse." The boy did not raise his head. "Mr. Tazuna told us all about your father." He tensed. "… You know… Naruko grew up without a father, same as you… actually without any parents really, she doesn't remember either one of them, or even have a single friend, her entire life is one painful memory.."

"R-really?" Inari asked, surprised.

The jonin nodded his head " And in all the time I've known her, not once have I seen her cry. Or use her troubles as an excuse to sulk and be a coward, not once. She always… tries her hardest, hoping someone would give her a kind word or a pat on the back. That's her dream and she's risked her life for it." They sat thinking over this information.

"I think one day she must've just gotten fed up with crying. She understands what it means to be strong. She knows what it costs and what it's worth… Just like your father did. She understands you a lot more than the rest of us." Kakashi continued.

Inari looked up at him with a questioning look.

"She can't leave you alone now… because you've gotten under her skin"

The gloomy child was awestruck by the older male.

Sasuke walked into team 7's room ready to sleep. Naruko and Sakura slept together on the other side of the room on single beds next to each other. He expected the blond to be mumbling things to herself in the dark, not find a crumpled pile lying in the middle of the room groaning "… damnit… sleep…. tired" well she was still babbling nonsense.

"_Idiot…"_ hooking his elbows under her arms he half dragged, half carried her to the cot. Somehow it always to surprised him on how light she was.

She was nicely curled in her blanket's sighing contently. Sasuke walked to his own bed exhausted, though he would never let it show.

"…. Sasuke….. weirdo… I will… win" This comment cause him to smirk, "Not a chance, ditz…" was his whispered reply.

Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke and Tazuna left the house waving good bye to Tsunami. Inari sat quietly watching everyone.

"WHERE DID EVERYONE GO?!" their sleeping guest had just woken up. Both mother and son stayed out of her way when she trampled down the hall, dressing on the way out.

Dashing through the trees she noticed something out of place.

Tazuna gasped, workers, friends bodies scattered the bridge. "Ta-Tazuna!" they split up to look at them individually, lucky people were only hurt not killed.

Heavy cloud of mist settled on the bridge. Kakashi was baffled. _"It's him!"_

They put their new formation to work and gathered around Tazuna.

Sasuke shook slightly.

"Well, it's been a while… and I see you've brought those brats along again, look the little boy is trembling again, poor thing" the supposed dead ninja appeared in front of each of them smirking.

The trembling boy smirked "I'm shaking with excitement".

"Go ahead Sasuke" his master gave the permission and without a moment's hesitation the gang of water clones were dissipated

The Uchiha stood holding two kunai in hand victorious.

"Well! It seems my water clones aren't enough anymore… they've matured into worthy rivals, right Haku?"

The long banged boy beside him nodded "Yes master Zabuza."


	23. Ambush Times Two!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything! Everything belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!

Chapter 23 Ambush Times Two!

"Well… it seems I was right… Our mysterious masked friend was playing on Zabuza's team this entire time." Kakashi was sure of this before the battle had even begun, but was confirmed only now.

"HE HAS THE NERVE TO SHOW HIS FACE NOW!" seemed Sakura was not one to be fooled either.

"He's mine…" If the Uchiha wasn't self-aware, he would've growled from the amount of animosity he showed.

"That was quite the show you put on earlier, but we're on to you now… and I hate ham actors!" "Sasuke's so cool!" Sakura swooned. But of course Kakashi knew that if their little blond headed teen was there she would have questioned if there were such things as ham actors. _"Sakura and Naruko challenge everything they said to each other… but Sakura takes everything Sasuke say's at face value, while Naruko would actually question."_ Master Kakashi sighed.

Without warning Haku disappeared, same as Sasuke. Kunai slashed and a start of straining battle begun.

Meanwhile at Tazuna's house…

A shrill scream broke through the house. The high pitched sound sent a jolt of warning straight through Inari. Running down the hall and skidding in the living room, he seen his mom cornered by two of Gato's well-known body guards. "MAMA!"

"NO INARI! STAY OUT!" his mother was fearful from her son.

Once the boy's presence became known to the two men, wicked smirk's formed. "We only need on hostage…" a silent agreement between the both of them spelled doom for the child. "Should have stayed hidden kid…" Inari looked horrified in the reflection of the blade.

"STOP!" they were waiting for a reason.

"If you dare touch my child… I'll bite through my tongue and drown in my own blood… than what will you do for a hostage?" his mother's expression was dead serious.

"_Mama…!"_

"Be grateful to your ma kid… let's go" with that they left leaving the boy slumped on the ground shivering in fear.

"_Mama… I'm so sorry… I can't save you! I'm just a weak little cry baby! I'm so scared! I don't want to die!"_

_**You think it's noble to star in a melodrama and treat everyone around as guests at your pity party? **_

**And in all the time I've known her, not once have I seen her cry. Or use her troubles as an excuse to sulk and be a coward, not once.**__

_**It takes a really big man to sit around and cry, you brat!... You cry baby!**_

"_Everyone else is so awesome… so cool… and strong!... Can I be strong too? Daddy?" _Inari ran out before they got too far away.

Just around the corner of the dock he spotted them walking, possibly arguing with one another. "WAIT!" they all looked back surprised. "GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY MAMA!" the child charged, fully determined to at least hurt one of them.

Dark looks clouded the thugs faces "My... well, looks like we have to defend ourselves…" there was a smile in his sentence.

"NO INARI!"

In seconds they both sliced through what they thought was the boy… only to cut chunks of wood in mid-air.

"I'm sorry I'm late…" Tsunami lay on the ground passed out; Inari sat next to Naruko shocked.

She grinned "You did a good job Inari!" The child in her arms was deciding if this was a dream or not, it didn't matter he was happy she was there.

Naruko analyzed her new enemies "These guys are Gato's lackey's hunh?" The guy with shoulder length hair stepped forward unaffected by her presence. "Well, looks as if there's children coming from everywhere… and this girl looks like a ninja!"

She showed no emotion "Heh! They don't look so tough!"

They both charged at her "YOU HAVE A BIG MOUTH GIRL!"

Still unmoving she chucked two kunai at the men, who knocked them away. "HA! THOSE TOYS WON'T WORK ON US!"

A smug smirk appeared on her tanned face. "Losers…"

Two beat up thugs later…

"MAN I'M AWESOME!" she jumped around excitedly.

"Naruko… how did you know to come back?" Inari was confused. She stopped mid bounce "Well these idiots left a pretty big clue in the forest! So I knew to come back! I mean it… what a couple of obvious idiots" she finished her explanation. Disgusted at the lack of secrecy the two tied up men showed.

Inari was amazed, first she looked so weak when he met her… now she seems ten feet high.

"But… forget that… I'm sorry" her outta the blue apology caught him off guard. "You know… about calling you a cry a baby, your not… you're a very strong boy!" She affectionately patted his head. Tears prickled the sides of his eyes, then he started sniffling. "oh-oh no… I promised myself I wouldn't cry anymore! Now you'll make fun of me…" more tears flowed down his chubby cheeks.

"No way…" Inari looked up surprised "nothing wrong with crying when your happy!" the tender warm smile made him cry harder. _"I wish I was like you!"_

"You can handle this form here right?"

Wiping the tears from his face Inari large grin would've rivaled the blonds "Yeah!"

"Well a hero's job is never done!" With that she left. _"Time to head for the bridge!"_


	24. Speed!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything! I swear everything belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!

Chapter 24 Speed!

Kunai clashed, now the two teen boys were in a position of dominance blades pushed towards the other. While off on the sidelines both older ninja watched with pride at their students. It was a tie but for how long?

"Sakura we have to cover Mr. Tazuna! Take that side and stay close to him, let Sasuke handle Haku!" her master instructed. She nodded her head "Yes sir!"

Haku pushed the kunai blade towards the dark haired boy "I don't want to have to kill you, but… you probably won't leave quietly will you…?" Sasuke smirked at the idiotic question. "How stupid…" he pushed back.

"Just as I thought, however you won't be able to match my speed for long… I've laid the ground for two attacks" the Uchiha quirked an eyebrow at this. "Two traps?" "You see the water surrounding us? Also I've immobilized your hand with this parrying move…" the sharp blades shook in their hands. "That leaves you one hand to defend yourself from my attacks." His one hand formed a series of hand sign's.

Both Kakashi and Uchiha were surprised.

_**Secret art of water! Thousand stinging needles of death!**_

The water from under his feet shot up, long icicles trapped both boys in a web like dome. Sasuke remained calm focusing his energy in the soles of his feet _"Focus…"_ The sound of Sakura's screams slowly died away in the background.

Right at the last moment Haku jumped away from the newly made pin cushion. He looked up to observe his work when a rain of shuriken shot down from above. _"He got out?!"_ Every land from his backflip he did a shuriken would be there to mark the spot.

"You're not that fast…" the cocky dark haired boy stood from behind him smirking. With a lunge he swiped at his back, his right hand was easily caught, back facing him. The smirk widened on his pale face.

A flick of the wrist and the kunai that was held in his hand was sent straight for his holders head. _"He's fast!"_ Haku ducked only to be met with an anticipated kick in the face.

He skidded to the feet of his shocked caretaker _"Haku's losing in a battle of speed?"_ His opponent stood in triumph "Your fast, I'm faster…"

"You had that coming, for both underestimating and name calling. He may not look like much… but Sasuke here is the top rated rookie from all of Konohagakurevillage. While Sakura over there is one of the sharpest minds…" The mentioned pinkette playfully stuck her tongue out at her Master's compliment. _**"DAMN STRAIGHT!"**_ her inner Sakura bellowed loudly in her head "…Let's not forget… our team's number one numb skull, Naruko Uzumaki."

…Faraway…

(ACHOOO!) Naruko sneezed uncontrollably, the result making her run into a branch. "DAMNIT!"

…Back at the bridge…

"heh-heh…" Zabuza chuckled at the strange turn of events. "Haku… do you understand if this goes on, you could die at the hands of the person you sought to spare?" The Haku boy slowly stood "Yes, I understand… what a pity."

Both his long hair and shoulders emitted mist. Surprised, Sasuke watched with… some-what of a fearful look. _"The air's suddenly cold…"_ a chill running up and down his spine.

During his wonderings Haku had formed a hand sign. The water encircled the stunned Uchiha forming vertically large… mirrors.

_**Secret art of water, ice crystal magic mirror technique!**_

Kakashi was sent in a panic, the unfamiliar technique sending him into paranoia. He dashed forward only to be stopped by Zabuza. "Let's not forget **I'm** your enemy. Our children can play together… while my boy kills yours!" his one eye glared.

Each and every mirror that surrounded Sasuke all embodied his masked opponent's image. "Let me show you real speed!" he braced himself for an attack. A barrage of needle's coming from all directions, cutting and pushing him. A gurgled cry spilled from his lips.

Frantic and feeling utterly useless Sakura whipped her head back and forth. "Mr. Tazuna… I'm sorry but I'm going to have to leave you for just a little while…" the old man smiled confidentially "Yeah go head! I'll be fine!" Sakura rushed towards the makeshift dome, trying to find an opening._ "There…!"_ "SASUKE CATCH!" she chucked a single kunai between the half meter wide space, hoping to at least give her Sasuke a weapon to defend himself with.

Half expectantly Haku melted out of one of the mirrors, grabbing the whizzing object between his deft fingers. Sakura skidded to a stop stunned _"he caught it!"_

With a loud thunk Haku was knocked out the rest of the way from his mirror. A shuriken had taken him by surprise, cutting his mask horizontally.

A giant puff of smoke filled half the bridge, a lone figure stood within in. Posing provocatively.

Haku lay on the ground dazed _"number… one, numb skull?"_ Sasuke's smirk reappeared bloodier than before _"show off… ditz"_

The smoke finally cleared to a grinning blond Kunoichi "Naruko Uzumaki at your service!"

WHOO! Okay that took a while! Man! Well I can grantee you the next chapter is gonna be A LOT longer! Well thanks for reading! X3


	25. 25, 26, 27

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING! All belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!

Chapter 25 DREAMS…!

Clad in orange their number one numb skull ninja bounced around excited "YEAH! HERO'S HERE! MY ENTRANCE WAS PERFECTLY DONE! I'M SO AWESOME!"

Kakashi face palmed _"Exasperating little-! What we needed was an ambush instead; she paints herself as the new target!"_

"NARUKO!" Sakura practically breathed her praise for the bundle of sunshine. "Show off…" Sasuke rolled his eyes. Haku stared quietly, the mask hiding a solemn expression.

Finally getting sick of the show Zabuza sent shuriken straight at the back of the still bouncing blond. "NARUKO YOU IDIOT PAY ATTENTION!" her master yelled.

Fully turned and confused Naruko spotted the weapons coming right at her. But before they could come within a meter of her, they were intercepted. All weapons clattered to the ground at the blonds' feet.

"Haku… what do you think you're doing?" he glared. "Zabuza sir, please let me fight this girl… my own way" he still didn't look up. Zabuza studied the boy "…. So you want me to give her to you? Eh, Haku? How charmingly naïve of you… fine…" Haku bowed his head in gratitude. Meanwhile Sasuke sat in his prison thinking of a plan; Naruko had already concocted something of her own.

"_If Naruko could attack from the outside, and I attack from the inside we just might be able to-!"_ his train of thought was interrupted by a smiling blond crouched in front of him "Hey! Sasuke! Don't worry, I'm here to save you!" Finally frustrated with her blundering the Uchiha took hold of both pigtails atop her head, yanking painfully "You Ditz! No Stealth, No Caution! And you call yourself a ninja?! Now that you've gotten yourself trapped in here with me! Do what you want! I don't care!" "OW! OW! Sasuke that hurts! I was only trying to help!"

Kakashi watched their childish antics feeling rather embarrassed himself _"Well… Leave it the ditz, once she starts 'helping' things go from bad to worse!"_

Haku melded back into his mirror. Sasuke reached the pouch on his leg _"So that one is his real body…!"_ as if he read his thoughts; he disappeared only to reappear behind the confused duo. "Over here…" "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" unbeknownst to her, her teammate was already putting his own plan into fruition.

_**Fire style! Fire ball jutsu!**_

"_There made up of ice! So they should just melt!"_

Fires surround both of the teens inside their prison, "Oh! Way to go Sasuke! Didn't even dent the thing, now we're stuck surrounded by fire! Very nice! Here let me try something!" Her hands made a familiar hand sign.

_**Art of the Doppel ganger!**_

"NO YOU DITZ!" knowing her, the plan was to attack all the mirrors until the she got the real one. As fast as they were in the air, they were faster put on the ground. Each of them poofing away in their own clouds of smoke, leaving the original on the ground groaning in pain. "Welcome back-" "SHUT UP SASUKE!"

"The technique I'm using is part of the Art of teleportation, and the only tool I need to perform it, is the mirrors that hold my image. I move so quickly the both of you may as well as be standing still!" his voice echoed off the walls of his mirrors. Another barrage of attacks caught the both of them.

"Hn, So that kid has a Kekkei Genkai… a genetic trait passed down from generations in a clan…" Zabuza's smirk confirmed Kakashi's theory.

Tired and exhausted the cut over blond slumped into herself "I'm tired…" "Will you quit?" Haku questioned. His judging irritated her "No way! I have a dream to fulfill!" he stared down at the girl he grew so fond of, thinking of the time back in the woods.

"I… find it difficult, to fully embrace the shinobi way. I can't help but prefer that you… not force me to kill you." His attention was mostly directed at the beat up Uzumaki. "However if you are going to come at me… I shall harden my own heart, and act as a true shinobi would!" Naruko held back an animalistic growl in the pit of her chest.

"I… have my own dreams… as you have yours… please do try not to resent me but I'm willing to do whatever it takes… to protect the one I care most about, to become his weapon, to be useful… doing so is my dream" Naruko got an odd feeling of familiarity with his sentence, but only pushed the thought to the back of her head.

"To that end, I will become the blade, and kill you!"

Both Sasuke and Naruko smiled at the challenge.

"NARUKO! SASUKE! DON'T LOSE TO A GUY LIKE THAT!" Sakura was still the simple observer off to the side, hoping her friends would be okay.

Kakashi tugged at the head band that covered his left eye. "You'll forgive me if I put an end to this…!" Zabuza laughed at the threat "Going to use the Sharingan eye? What a vulgar maneuver. So obvious! So lacking in finesse!" he charged at him kunai in hand. Surprised by the sudden attack Kakashi retaliated by using his hand as a shield, the blade only going so deep.

"You can sneer all you want about the Sharingan eye and of me. But that doesn't change the fact you are scared of both me and the Sharingan. So… Let's get started!"

Sasuke pushed his blond teammate to the side when a single Senbon whizzed in the air. "Aw man! Sasuke we have to do something! We're getting beaten up pretty bad!" her whining really wasn't helping their situation. "Shut up! And get on your feet! I can't watch him and look after you too!" His sentence hurt Naruko "THAN STOP TRYING TO SAVE ME!" He looked back at her expressionless "we're both wounded, but we have to suck it up and go on. He's attacks have been getting weaker."

Haku watched with an itching irritation, the way these two fought and protected one another was making him feel a little… jealous.

Sasuke saw he was about to attack, this time aimed at him. As fast as he could he moved sideways to avoid the attack, but Haku was just too fast for him and his wounded state. The Senbon impaled itself right above his left knee cap. A painful gasp escaped his mouth but he still stood strong, unwilling to give in. "Crap! Sasuke you okay?!" He could've laughed at the irony of the situation. She hated him, but was worried at the same time… if it was him, he wouldn't care.

"_My eyes are starting to adjust the environment"_

"My next assault will take you down!" Haku withdrew two Senbon's. The next attack would surely put the black haired boy out of commission. He lunged. In turn Sasuke quickly grabbed the blond by the waist, pulling her out of the way of the attack. They skidded to a stop, the impact of the toss ripped Naruko from his grip. She landed closer to the enemy than he did. Somewhere between getting the air squeezed out of her and having her head knocked roughly on the ground unconscious.

"_He wasn't fooled! He wasn't even confused! Impossible!"_ Haku took a closer look at his advisory. Blood colored eyes glared at him; two black comas surrounded his pupil. The look in his eye was one that sent something of a freight through him. _"The Sharingan eye!?"_ "I see now… you are also of a Kekkei Genkai bloodline… then I cannot allow this battle to go on, my own Kekkei Genkai forces me to expand a great deal of my own chakra. I'm certain the longer this drags on the more of an advantage you will have over me."

He narrowed in on his next target, who still lay on the ground unmoving. _"Please forgive me…"_ _"No! NARUKO!" _Seeing the attack Sasuke leaped after him. _"Have to get there before him!"_

A sudden jolt awoke the female Kunoichi. She looked on behind her to see a Haku on all hands and knees recovering from a blow. "Sheesh… no matter how many times I tell you not to get in the way, you never listen…" "Sasuke! You did it! You're-" the praise died in her throat. Tears gathered at the edges of her eyes at the sight of her friend stabbed and coughing up blood. The long Senbon needles protruding out from every side of him.

"Get that expression off your face… You ditz!" his words were forced and painful even to her. "W-Why?" was the only word that came to mind. _"Why? You ask me why? You obvious ditz!"_ "You know, I use to **hate** you… now…"

Tears spilled over her eyes, "Why… why did you…?! Why me?! I TOLD YOU TO STOP TRYING TO SAVE ME!" her voice cracked from the pent emotion. "Idiot, stop saying… How should I know? My body moved on it's on…" he stumbled backwards, landing in her lap. "I swore I wouldn't die, until I've killed him… thought the oath would save me..." a red faced sniffling Naruko locked eyes with his. "Don't even think… about dying…" a forced grin broke out across her face. "I never think!" the weak joke brought a genuine smile to his face. Dread filled her entire being at the lifeless look in his eyes "Sasuke…."

"He struck one blow at me… and without any shirking… sacrificed himself for you! He was a shinobi worthy of the utmost respect… who in order to protect someone he cared about, threw himself headlong into what he knew full well was a trap" the tears had stopped and she was quiet. "Is this a first time you've watched a comrade die? Such is a ninja's path-"

"Shut up!" she had no idea why he was trying to comfort her, after he had done… he didn't deserve to talk to her.

"I'll never forgive you for this!" the air around her was thick and red. Her eyes red, pupil's stretched into vertical lines. Shifting and swirling, ever moving on its own as if it were alive.

"I will kill you!"


	26. Nine tails!

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!

Chapter 28 Nine Tails…!

The red Chakra whipped and turned; flowing up high in the air like flames. Haku gasped at the form of the fire like chakra took, the head of a terrifying growling monster. _"He-her! Chakra! It's physically manifesting itself! Such killing intent!"_

She calmly stood, the ties in her hair ripped from the winds that swirled around in the tiny prison. The sound of sizzling drew his attention to her badly cut bloody hands. To his surprise the wounds healed with each heat wave that passed over her. _"What is she?!"_

Kakashi and Zabuza shudder at the intense chakra that shot through the air, the feeling only increasing by the minute. _"No! It can't be! Did she break the seal all on her own!?" _Kakashi calmed himself at the next feeling, suppression. _"Good… it's not fully broken… but maybe cracked."_ He raised his head up at his enemy; he could tell the he also felt the power. "Well Zabuza turns out we have to hurry things along now… so how about we settle this on one big blow? Winner takes all?" the man quirked a none existent eyebrow "intriguing notion Kakashi… alright show me what you've got!"

"_She's about to attack!"_ just as predicted the monster charged at his mirror. He tossed two Senbon's at her, hoping that the attack would momentarily stall her. Instead he hadn't anticipated a blood thirsty roar that shook the very mirrors he took refuge in. The power behind the single roar sent the weapons spinning to the ground a new surge of fear coursed through him. _"She didn't even touch them to deflect them!"_ he was now above her hoping to get a surprise attack from the angle. He struck downwards, only for her to tumble sideways out of his range of attack. Gathering his wits he made for the closest mirror. He was struck, thrown backwards but was still very close to the girl.

She let out another blood curdling yell. This time the ice popped and cracked from the sudden amount of chakra. Haku tried to use another escape tactic, but the grip on his arm from the blond crushed his forearm. He looked up to a sadist smirk on her animalist features, fangs bared. The crystal walls broke into shattered ice pieces after the impact of Haku's limp body was thrown through them.

He skidded to a stop, on the outside of his ice fortress. His attacker stood in the heaps of rubble, slowly crouching on all fours. She pushed on her back legs, rushing at him for the killing blow. _"I…. am finished….. Master Zabuza…"_ the remains of his broken mask slipped from his face. Expressionless look held nothing but a broken boy, devoid of all human life.

Naruko was in front of him fist only inches away from his face. Her face was hidden underneath the shadow of hair. "You're… soft hair…." He gave her a surprised look "Why did you stop? I killed your comrade, your beloved friend!" She turned her head to the body of her friend, the anger resurfaced. "…Damn…."

The hit had staggered him, but wasn't enough to kill.

"Often… people have it wrong when they show mercy to their enemies, and pass it off as kindness… can't you see-?" he wiped the blood that dripped from the corner of his mouth. "It's an empty existence… to go on living alone and unloved… when defeats already cost you your dream!" Her red rimmed eyes widened "What…?" That smile… that same smile he wore in the forest, showed he was happy and content, seemed hollow and over used to her now. "Master Zabuza has no use for a weak shinobi. You've taken away my only reason for living." He chuckled softly.

"WHY WASTE ALL THAT DEVOTION ON SUCH A CREEP?! THAT MERCENARY SCUMBAG DOESN'T CARE WHO HE WORKS FOR OR WHO HE HURTS! JUST SO SOMEONE PAYS HIM! IS HE SERIOUSLY YOUR **BELOVED PERSON?!**" Her confused outburst silenced Him.

"Once…. I was once precious… I was beloved, by my parents." Her tear stained face reminded him so much of the reflection he seen in cold waters of his beloved home.

"I was once born in a snowy little village, in the land of mist. And I was kind, my parents were good kind people…but…" was that pity she held in her eyes? He looked down to avoid that look. "Just as I was getting old enough to really notice the world around me… something happened." "What happened?" He stared down at his blood covered hand. "Blood, my blood-""blood?" they both remained where they stood not daring to move.

"My father killed my mother… and tried to kill me as well." she looked taken back; why on earth would a father try to do that? It sickened her "The land of mist has been the scene of non-stop war. Among its people those who possessed a Kekkei Genkai are loathed and marked as abominations. Those of the bloodline were used, the skills deemed them as harbingers of doom… once the wars were over, they were all exterminated. Exposure meant death…" he looked behind her at Sasuke's body. "I'm sure he understood the pain of which I speak…" _"Sasuke?"_

"My father learned that my mother came from such a clan… and before I knew it, he had died by my hand. Forced to accept what I was, was the most painful thing…" "The most painful?" "Accepting I was alone in the world, superfluous, unwanted, shunned." A wave of sympathy hit her. It felt wrong to pity this boy, the one who killed Sasuke. She looked away from him. "Didn't you tell me once, that you wanted to be number one in your village, so everyone would respect you? If you had a person who did more than that… who acknowledged your existence, even cared for you…. Wouldn't that person become the most important person in your life?" for once she was silent.

"… Master Zabuza adopted me, evening knowing what I was. The very thing everyone hated, he not only overlooked it, he cherished it, and he wanted It." his voice cracked from emotion. "I was happy…" her heart crumbled from sadness. The tears flowed freely, why would anyone allow such a person suffer so much? She cried **for** him.

Hands gripped hers tightly, confused, she stared into his eyes.

"Naruko… please take my life."

"This posturing is getting nowhere Kakashi!" Zabuza's voice called from the heavy mist. "While you can't tell where I am! I know where you are! And how to defeat you! You are completely doomed!" His victory was short lived when a pack of dogs rose up from the ground. Un-expectantly latching onto his arms and legs. Rendering him completely immobilized.

"When all eyes and ears fail you… you only have to rely on your nose, and you're covered in my blood. Which made you much more easily to find you…" he struggled against the dog's that held him. "This is the end!"


	27. Your future is!

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Everything belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!

Your Future Is…!

"Zabuza… you've had your fun. You schemed your schemes… the day you deserted the land of mist and became a turncoat and renegade, your name and your actions were reported to us at Konoha village. We know all about the attempt to assassinate Mizukage, the water shadow leader of your people." Both ninja glared at one another, even through the slowly lifting fog.

"You've been trying to raise funds for a second attempt, and barely staying a jump ahead of the shinobi hunters… which is what brought you here. It's why you'd stoop to work for a parasite like Gato" An eerie glow emitted from his right hand, sounds of countless little chirps filled the air. His fingers curled around nothing, struggling to keep whatever it was from escaping from his gloved palm.

The air around him turned dark, giving a sinister look. Crouching slightly, he gripped his wrist for stability. "Your future is death!" "You're nothing but a false prophet!"

Haku reached into the shocked blonds pouch, withdrawing a kunai. Still holding her hands, he turned it palm side up and placed the weapon in it. Curling her fingers on the hilt and aimed the sharp end right over his heart. "What are you waiting for…?"

She franticly yanked to pull her hand free, a look of horror etched into her features. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? YOUR USED TO BEING THE TOUGHEST, I GET THAT! BUT WANTING TO DIE JUST CAUSE SOMEONE BEAT YOU?!" she shook her head in disbelief. "There's more to life than just fighting, there's more to you… your boss must like you for more than just that… right?"

Haku solemnly smiled, she's so innocent, so pure, so unlike him. "That time we met in the forest, I remember thinking that we were two of a kind. Surely you can understand…" Her small hands shook in his bigger ones.

"Is there really no other way…?" she whispered. He nodded.

Without even looking up she already knew his answer, instead tilted her head in the direction of the still Uchiha. "You know… Sasuke also had a dream…" her grip on the hilt tightened as his loosened. "If we had met someplace else, we might have been best friends…" he smiled of the possibility, a single thought clawing at his mind. _"Maybe, more…"_

Sakura strained her green eyes against the thick mist, thankful that it was now starting to lift. _"I… see… two people! One of them is defiantly Naruko!"_ she searched for the silhouette of Sasuke. "I don't see Sasuke!" an uncomfortable nagging feeling filled her. She found it odd that the two were holding hands but thought nothing, finding her teammate seemed more important.

Naruko pulled back her, preparing to plunge the blade into his heart. Time seemed to slow for the two, Haku's smile never leaving his feminine face… An ugly feeling shot through him. _"Master Zabuza!"_

Halfway to its destination, her hand was stilled. She stared into his eyes with her own watering ones. "I'm sorry Naruko… I can't die yet!" in the blink of an eye he was gone. Leaving a confused, tear stained Uzumaki girl.

_**Light Blade!**_

Blood splattered the ground around Kakashi and his target. The summoned dogs disappeared, freeing Zabuza from his restraints.

Kakashi stared into the lifeless eyes of the body that hung off his arm. His lightening blade had successfully killed… but not the person he intended.

Naruko searched right and left, searching for Haku. Suddenly the mist lifted exposing a bloody scene that left her speechless. _"… Haku…"_

After getting over his initial shock the bandaged ninja chuckled under his breath. "Brilliant Haku" Kakashi noticed him go for the giant weapon on his back and immediately took his hand away, grabbing the boy as he jumped backwards. Zabuza sliced air, where Haku and his enemy stood. "Heh so you were able to get away because poor little Haku was already dead."

Off to the sidelines Naruko growled at the heartless act. This was the man he cared for so much? The one he died for? This man didn't deserve a hair on Haku, let alone his loyalty. She shook with anger. _"THAT SCUMBAG!"_

If there was one thing Kakashi could pick up from his blond student it was her intense need to fight.

"Naruko!" that caught her attention. "This is my fight! Stay out of it!" she reluctantly obeyed.

"NARUKO!" She was called a second time, this time by her pink haired teammate. "You're okay! Where's Sasuke!?" she looked down ashamed of herself. Easily reading the meaning Sakura looked behind her to see a blue and red pile. Her eyes widened in horror and if Naruko wasn't mistaken it looked as if tears were unwilling building in her eyes. She stood still when she ran past her towards the body, desperate.

"I'm sorry…" her apology went unheard.

After a few minutes of silence, dry cracked sobs filled the silence near Sasuke's body. The heartbreak of her teammate affecting her to no end. Willing her own tears back, she'd figured crying was getting her nowhere in this situation, right now what they needed was someone strong.

Not too long into the battle had past and Zabuza stood panting, kunai jabbed in both upper arms. His stance slightly off, mostly because of weaponry that staked his arms.

"I don't get it… why am I losing?!" frustrated, he charged for what must have been the 5th time. He was roughly knocked sideways, the hit leaving him slightly dizzy. Recoiling from the attack Zabuza could feel his body weakening, his legs trying to give out from under him.

"This is goodbye Demon!" Kakashi appeared behind him Kunai aimed for the side of his head. Now only running on adrenal Zabuza swung his sword back hoping to at least slice the elite ninja. No such luck, the knife stabbed through his arm sticking out on the opposite side. The injury completely taking away the ability to hold a weapon or raise his arms in any way.

"Well… now you can't use any jutsu's" Kakashi lightly notified.

"My, my, he's made quite the mess out of you…" a foreign voice broke the high tension on the bridge, replacing it with something more.

The looked over to see a white haired glasses wearing midget, standing amongst a crowd of men, not ninja just your ordinary common thugs. "Oh well… make's my job all the more easier" Everyone's attention was fully on this newcomer and his army. "I'm so glad that you did all the dirty work, now me and my men can take them out! As well as you." Zabuza didn't seem all to surprised. "Demon!" he scoffed. "What false advertisement! More like the baby demon if you ask me!" the men behind him laughed at the lame joke.

The two elite ninja that fought not too long ago glanced at the other from the corner of their eye. "Looks like my contract was broken, apologies Kakashi I no reason to fight you anymore." Zabuza quickly brushed off their life or death fight, and so did Kakashi.

Gatos round sunglasses glistened with interest at the body only a few feet away from him. "That reminds me…" with a kick, Haku's head twisted fully looking at the group. "This kid nearly broke my arm… brat!"

"WHAT THE HECK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

Almost immediately Naruko charged at the man ready to fight. A large hand gripped the back of her jacket, keeping her away from the desecrating basterd, Gato. "Naruko! Can't you see there are more of them? Just cool it." Her sensei remained calm.

Eyes glared at the back of Zabuza, not wanting to talk to him but seeing as there was no other way. "HEY WHY AREN'T YOU DOING SOMETHING? HE WAS PRACTICALLY YOUR SLAVE!" The bandaged ninja didn't even turn to answer her. "Like what? He's dead it doesn't matter…"

"BUY YOU SHOULD CARE! THAT FAT SCUMBAG IS KICKING IS LIFELESS BODY! YOU TWO WERE PARTNERS! HE WORKED FOR YOU FOR YEARS!"

An expressionless look was all she seen when he turned to look at her. "Gato used me, I used Haku… weren't you listening? Shinobi are either tools or user's… or even both. Haku was useful for his bloodline… I apologize for nothing." His monotone voice reached her ears bringing a deep chill through her heart.

Determined for him to understand she pushed that feeling aside and pointed accusingly. "SHUT UP ABOUT THAT! HE CARED FOR YOU! HE WAS DEVOTED TO YOU! YOU SIT THERE AND ACT LIKE EVERYTHING HE DID WAS UNIMPORTANT! ARE YOU REALLY THAT HEARTLESS?! HE GAVE HIS LIFE FOR YOU!" unattended tears fell one by one down her face. "He died, without any of his dreams coming true! To die as your tool…! That's… too much, too cruel-"

"Kid" he interrupted "… Not… another word." Under used tears slide down his own face, a sad expression hidden behind his mask.

A silence passed between them for only a moment. "Haku often talked about a girl… that caught his attentions… he was far too kind and gentle for his own good." She sniffled. "But in the end… all shinobi are humans, with emotions" he bite the bandages from his mouth. Revealing sharp jagged teeth that resembled that of a sharks.

"Would you lend me your kunai?"

She tossed one towards him "sure"

He caught it between his teeth and charged into the army of men. Cutting and slicing anyone who dared get in his path. His main target only a few men away. Finally making it to his target Zabuza was skewered three time's at once from the back. Gato nervously gloated. "If you wanna join your little friend that bad than go alone!" A dark chuckle came from the near dead shinobi "What are you talking about? I'm taking you straight to hell with me!" with a gush of blood. Gatos head separated from his body flying through the air and landing with a couple of bounce in front of the army of thugs.

He stood in triumph smiling, tired and battle worn. A single glance at the men around him screamed, fearing for their own lives

_**Please keep me beside you…**_

**It's goodbye now Haku… thanks for everything… I'm sorry.**

.


	28. The bridge of a hero!

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Still belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!

The Bridge Of A Hero!

Naruko dared not look away, even after Zabuza fell. His body smack middle of the group that made it their goal to wipe out ninja. "You're witnessing a man who lived his life in full…" Kakashi interrupted her thoughts. Finding no words to respond she simply nodded her head quietly.

Sakura pitifully cried over the cold body that was the Uchiha. "… Sasuke…"

"S-sakura…?" confused she glanced down to see dark rimmed eyes staring blankly up at her. "You're… kind a heavy…" she only looked stunned.

"OHHHHHHH SASUKE! SASUKE! SASUKE!" she threw her arms around his neck carelessly forgetting his injuries. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Sakura you're hurting me!" he tried to get loose of her uncontrollable hug.

Embarrassed, she quickly unlatched and apologized profusely.

"Where's… Naruko?" He looked around his surrounding's, apparently his eye sight hadn't come back yet. "Sasuke! Don't move around! Naruko's just fine! And that kid in the mask is dead!" "Dead?!" he was shocked, not once had it crossed his mind that the hyper idiot could do such a thing.

"Did Naruko…?" She immediately waved it off. "No… he died protecting Zabuza from Kakashi." A steady form of relief washed over him. "I… was worried… that…Naruko…" His whispered words went unheard as Sakura reverted back to her old self. "Sasuke you're so amazing! You survived a death blow!" she gushed. Touching the Senbon that were still in his neck he thought of the outcome of the battle, realization of his enemy's true intention. "… No…" _"He never intended to kill me…"_

Slowly standing with some help from his teammate, Sasuke walked with Sakura guiding the both of them to find their hyper friend.

"NARUKO! IT'S ALRIGHT! HE'S ALIVE!" Sakura announced to her grief sicken teammate. This news made her turn around immediately, eyes as big as saucers. He waved gingerly.

Tears started welling up at the edges of her eyes, how could he just wave all casually? She ran over to them, smile never leaving her face.

He readied himself for another hug when he felt a sharp shove in his chest. Shocked, he looked down at the smaller teen to see tears flowing down her red annoyed face. "THAT WASN'T FUNNY! YOU BIG JERK! YOU MADE ME FEEL BAD!" she shoved him again, this time more playfully. A wide grin lit up her face in relief, she was glad she didn't have to find a new rival. "Idiot…" he retorted

"HEY! AREN'T YOU SWEETHEARTS FORGETTING SOMETHING?!" a voice boomed. "YOU KILLED OUR MEAL TICKET! NOW WE'RE GONNA LOOT THE VILLAGE AND TAKE EVERYTHING!" the newly proclaimed leader had all the thugs hollering in agreement.

An arrow struck the ground in front of them. Making them stay their movements. "ONE STEP FURTHER AND YOU DIE WHERE YOU STAND! THIS IS OUR HOME!" and army of villagers and fishers occupied the opposite side of the bridge.

Standing bravely at the very front Inari stood, crossbow in hand. Mr. Tazuna was taken back by the support of his village. While the hyper blond looked relieved "INARI YOU CAME!" the child's smile could've matched her own signature grin. "It's being a hero! All the nick of time stuff!"

Naruko stretched her arms above her head "Well, mind if I join?"

_**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**_

Five little Uzumaki's appeared; even the sight of them drew a slight gasp from the crowd of thugs. Kakashi observed the thugs closely, just one little push could defiantly send them back _"Not enough Chakra for anything solid… but a bluff should just about do."_

_**Shadow Clone Jutsu! **__(Kakashi style!)_

The army grew ten times than before. A girly yelp screeched from the group of men. They scurried away, their pride left behind.

The villagers cheered, happy for their moment of victory.

Naruko crouched beside Haku's body lightly pushing strands of hair out of his face. "Thank you… for sparing me and my friends… Haku." The name fit all too perfectly for an unknown reason.

This boy lying dead and cold in front of her had permanently influenced her, giving her yet another reason to becoming Hokage.

Kakashi laid Zabuza next to the dead body of the young shinobi. "Thank you… Kakashi…" he strained to turn his head in Haku's direction. _"You were at my side from the beginning… I'll be by yours in the end…"_ "If I could… if I were able…. I would go to… the same place, as you" his hand reached up to brush against his cheek, wiping away dried tears from earlier. So suddenly the air became cold, Zabuza's hand rested on the ground next to his head. An ending sleep fully claiming him.

Soft snowflakes fell from the clouded sky; causing the Uzumaki girl to question… will they end up in the same place together? She shook the uncertainty feeling off. _"Sasuke's beginning to rub off on me! Of Course they'll be together!"_

~Two weeks later~

Naruko placed a two bowls of dumplings on grave markers side by side. Haku's long striped belt adorn the one on the left, while Zabuza's monstrous weapon stuck from the ground behind the right.

"Master Kakashi?" Sakura broke the unnatural silence. "Hmm?"

"Was… Zabuza right about the…. Ninja way?" her question lead to the blond herself to think on it for the moment.

"A shinobi should never question his or her existence, it is important that we only exist as tools to our homeland to use in whatever way…" was his robotic answer.

"Do you really believe that?" The Uchiha glared. His question made his sensei smile. "Well, no… and that's why we ninja live our lives with that ideal always bubbling beneath the surfaces of our minds… like Zabuza and Haku…"

"WELL THAT'S IT!" Naruko's loud outburst tore a scream from her pink haired teammate. "DON'T DO THAT YOU LOUD DITZ!" she was unusually quiet for almost the past two weeks, which worried her of course… but to suddenly yell while standing next to her was simply nerve wracking, like waiting for a bomb to explode. "I'm going to create my Nindo! My own ninja way!" Kakashi's good eye softened at her new revelation, he was in awe of Iruka's ability to teach.

"Thanks to you our bridge was completely built… but it will defiantly be a lot quieter around here without you" Inari stood in front of his grandpa while he waved off their newly made friends. He himself was trying to the swallow the lump in his throat, which seemed to fight its way up every passing second.

Noticing his saddened expression Naruko grinned brightly, hoping to cheer the child up before she started breaking down as well. "Don't worry we'll always come back and play!" His expression twisted even more into sadness "You better… big sis!" That was it; she bit on her bottom lip and forced a grin. The tears that threatened to fall quivered and shook in her eyelids, making her blue eyes sparkle even more if possible. "You know! Inari, don't let it get you down! If you really want go ahead and cry!" The child shook his head furiously "No way! But if you want big sis! Go ahead!" Lowering her head to hide her eyes she turned and waved "Me? Not even! See ya…" he stared at her back in disappointment.

Sakura sighed at her idiotic teammate, both Naruko and Inari were wearing the same teary expression while biting their bottom lips… she'll admit looked rather cute. But she was still stupid none the less.

_**That girl touched the heart of Inari… and in turn Inari touched the hearts of everyone else. She completely built the bridge that eventually carried them all to courage and hope…**_

"Hey!" Tazuna caught the attention of his fellow villagers. "We still have to name the bridge!" "The great…" Inari's voice pushed back a rough sob. "Naruko bridge!" everyone cheered in agreement.

"YEAH! CAN'T WAIT TO GET HOME! MASTER IRUKA IS GONNA TAKE ME OUT FOR RAMEN AND I'M GONNA TELL LITTLE KONOHAMURA OF THE EPIC TALE!" They were only halfway across the bridge when their hyper blond started spouting non-sense. Actually Sakura seemed to prefer the moody glooming Naruko over the hyper loud ditz… not!

"Uh yeah sure Naruko. Hey uh… Sasuke, when we do go home… would you like to go out with me?" "Uh, no thanks" he instantly answered. She fell on her face from rejection, the mere sight made the blond feel sorry for her. "Hey! Sakura! How about we have a girl's night out?! Yeah! It'll be a whole lotta fun! Me, you, checking out some really hot-!" Her sentence was cut short from a sandal in her head. The abusive footwear belonged to a very irritated Sasuke. "Idiot… Don't talk like a ditz." he barked. A flicker of hope flashed in Sakura's emerald green eyes. _"YES! He's jealous over other men!"_ of course she knew that the blond was only joking to cheer her up but his behavior seemed way to out of character even for him!

"OW OW OW! I WAS ONLY KIDDING!"


	29. Intruders?

Disclaimer: I don't own anything! Still very much belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!

Intruders

The morning sun shined through the clear window of Naruko's apartment. The heat of the sun danced across her whisker face forcing her to awaken from blissful sleep.

A stretch and a yawn, she was up getting prepared for the day.

Finished with breakfast and fully changed into her usual orange attire. The fully recharged blond was shining brighter than ever bouncing up and down uncontrollably. "Yeah Baby! I'm gonna totally kick ass today! Believe it!" With one last bounce, she ditched her apartment leaving a cloud of dust and angry neighbors.

Arriving at the rendezvous for team 7 she excitedly waved "Hey Sakura!" unfortunately after returning from the land of mist Sasuke had taken up his title of I'm-too-good-to-talk-to-the-likes-of-you attitude! Their greeting was a short scornful glare and a quick turn of the head. The pink haired teammate observed with disappointment, slightly shaking her head at their antics._ "They've been like this ever since we got back!"_

~Three hours later~

"Sorry I'm late! I got lost on the way over here-" "LIAR! QUIT YOUR LYING!" the two shrilly females screamed.

Once the morning routine was over and done with, Naruko was the first to pester her nervous sensei. "Hey! Hey! Master! Can we get an epic mission this time?! I totally want to polish my skills! And I'll totally be like!... and!..." without even realizing it he had successfully tuned out her insistent clattering, a robotic nod every now and then.

An expression of jealousy flashed on the blonds face as she glanced back at the bored Uchiha. She still hadn't forgotten his self-sacrifice back on the bridge, the memory itself bringing back a fiery determination. _"That jerk! I'm totally gonna show him who's the strongest as of today! Just you wait Sasuke Uchiha! I won't need your help for as long as I live!"_ she silently declared.

~End of mission~

Kakashi walked back to the village happy as can be with his team not far behind. A tired and exhausted blond Kunoichi hung off the shoulders of an irritated Sakura. "Stupid Naruko! You would've been fine if you hadn't over done it!" Sasuke smirked at her from the corner of his eye "…ditz…" apparently Naruko developed super hearing considering she caught his whispered insult. An angry tick appeared on the top of her blond head "THAT'S IT SASUKE LETS DO THIS HERE AND NOW!" she pathetically flinging her left arm in his direction, too tired to even use her own strength to stand or walk.

Sasuke scoffed at her "Idiot, if you're so sick of being in my debt than get better than me!" with his piece said he turned his back on all of them waiting for his next orders. Naruko glared at him hatefully.

"Well.." Kakashi broke the bitter silence. "I have to go and report in our mission success… you're all dismissed for the day!" in a cloud of smoke he disappeared.

"I'm going home…" Sasuke walked away not giving his teammates the time of day.

Seeing a perfect opportunity to get closer to her Sasuke, Sakura quickly jogged behind him. Naruko comically fell face first into the dirt making no noise at all before jumping up angrily glaring at the both of them; she was able to use her legs again. "Ah! Wait Sasuke!" He stopped and turned "Um.. Well I was wondering.. If…" she blushed uncontrollably. "I was wondering if, just the two of us,-" a warning glare was sent in her blond teammate's direction "-Could possibly work on our teamwork together?"

"You're as bad as Naruko" that was a low blow. "Why waste your time flirting when you could be training? Even her skills are better than yours" suddenly beside her friend Naruko pointed an accusing finger at the cold boy "Sasuke your mean! You can't be heartless to a girl who likes you! Come on Sakura lets go and train together! Then we'll go to get ramen!" spinning them both around the two girls walked in the opposite direction of him.

Sakura looking completely dejected and sad as they walked. "He's not even worth getting sad over! He's nothing but a big jerk! You could find someone so much better!" slightly walking ahead Naruko tried to cheer up her teammate. She could never understand why any of the females in her class ever liked the cold boy; he was just so… not smiley.

"Naruko don't talk like that about him!" Sakura was finally fed up with her ranting against Sasuke. "He's amazing and cool! And one of the villages most sought out boys!" she practically gushed with hearts in her eyes. "…yeah? Well I still don't see what's so great about him…" the blond muttered under her breath.

"Naruko you've never had a crush before so you wouldn't understand…" she sighed. Caught off guard by the innocent observation Naruko had to think, she really never had a serious crush that didn't end abruptly. Her days at the academy usual consisted of pranking, eating, and training. Not once had she looked at a boy and said "Ooh! He's cute!" this slightly unnerved her.

During her reflection a square box slide across the road, settling behind the both of them. Sakura was the one to notice the change in environment and pointed "Rocks aren't suppose-to be perfectly shaped" curious the blond looked back to see a shaking rock with whispered voices. "Huh?"

The last person she wished to see at the moment popped up from under the box. Two others accompanying him, all wearing matching goggles. "Oh… it's you guys…" she stated with a bored expression. Konohamaru flashed her a toothy grin "You promised to play ninja with us today, future wife!" a tick popped atop her head. Did this little guy still think he was gonna marry her? "Yeah… I know it's just…" "WHOA! WHO'S THE BABY?!" he rudely interrupted her. Sakura stepped back in surprise; this child was giving her a look that spelled absolute evil. "So what's up doll face? You come around here often?-!"

Naruko side stepped the flying Sakura, when she smacked the small boys head. "You board brow, fire breathing hag! That hurt!" Somewhere in his talking master Uzumaki was waving her arms back and forth furiously, hoping he would get the warning and shut up. A dark shudder rolled up his spin, a terrible feeling of dread enveloped him. "RUN KONOHAMARU! RUN FOR YOUR LITTLE LIFE!" Naruko desperately screamed from behind.

In a quick dash the boy was off his friends soon following behind him. Both teenage girls ran, one with the intent to hurt, while the other trying to keep her friend from killing. "SAKURA THIS ISN'T THE ANSWER!"

Konohamaru chanced a glance behind to see his attacker quickly gaining. He would have forced his legs to keep going if he hadn't run into a wall.

The impact of the crash sent him tumbling to the ground groaning slightly in dull pain. "Hey you brat the hurt!" He looked up to a pair of glaring brown eyes.

"Konohamaru!" Naruko found her little admirer suspended in the air by his scarf, dangling helplessly. The boy that held him ignored her "You know when you run into people you tend to get them angry." His painted face twisted into a closed eye smile, the shadow cast across his face caused a sinister glow.

The girl beside him looked disinterested in the whole situation "Cut it out you're gonna get us in trouble" she drawled in a bored voice.

"I SAID PUT HIM DOWN YOU MAKE UP WEARING FREAK!" with a rough shove in the back, make up boy dropped Konohamaru. He looked back at her with a scowl "What the?-" "Pick on someone your own size!" she yelled.

He looked her up and down… didn't look that tough, short stature, big blue eyes, blond pigtails, this loud girl practically made weak. A smug smirk tugged at the side of his mouth "Well what do we have here, a shrimp of the day? What wrong little girl can't find your mommy?" he mocked whole heartily. The look on her face was positively fuming!

"WHY YOU-!" Her fist was easily caught in his palm. Naruko knew she had let her emotions get away with again, but she simply couldn't let that one slide… she tried very hard to look tall!

A harsh grip of his hand forced her to look him in the eyes. "Awl… did I strike a nerve?" his tightened even more. "What? Does it hurt? Sorry I guess I just don't know my own strength" she gave the boy a killer glare. The expression made him laugh; it was if a new born pup was baring its teeth. "Such an adorable expression-!"

He ripped his hand away from hers in pain. "Damnit that hurt!" in the tree a laid back Uchiha casually tossed a small rock up and down in his palm. "Tell me what are you guys doing in our village?"

"It's Sasuke!" Sakura cheered.

"_Pretty cute…"_ the dirty blond girl blushed at the sight of the new comer. Naruko felt half relieved and half annoyed. _"Humph! Show off Sasuke! I could've totally taken him!"_

The purple marking faced teen scowled "look, another brat!" he angrily mocked. But Sasuke was undeterred "get lost."

"SASUKE'S SO COOL!: Konohamaru noticed both Moogie and Sakura had hearts in their eyes, even the dirty blond girl blushed with a smile. Assuming, he gripped the bottom of Naruko's baggy orange vest "Future wife! Do you as well harbor any feelings for this playboy?!" she quickly looked at him with an annoyed look. "One! I'm not your future wife! And Two! NO!" for his idiotic question he received a good punch to the top of his head, but he smiled none the less.

Both strong teens glared at one another, challenging the other to make the first move. The strangely dressed guy gripped the giant object on his back and roughly placed it on the ground before him. His female teammate gasped in shock "Y-You're not seriously going to use crow are you?!"He answered with a knowing smirk.

"Kankuro!"

Sasuke looked back with shock _"I… didn't even hear him!"_ the two trouble-makers paled at the dark raspy voice.

A boy with red hair hung upside down, on the opposite side of the tree the Uchiha was residing in. His blank expression and dark hollowed eyes sent a cold shudder through him.

Their frightened expressions brought a questioning look to the blonde's own whiskered face.

This kid (though they looked the same height) without even trying had put a scare in the entire group. Though not being able to sense moods and atmospheres like her teammates, Naruko remained clueless and ultimately happy.

He sized up the group, his eyes scanning every face with a silent glare. Naruko herself took a closer look at him, a Kanji (Love) tattooed in his brow was what stuck out the most. _"This… kid… there's something about him… something familiar"_ She dug deeper in her mind to search for any recollecting of a memory of ever seeing this kid before.

"It annoys me that you'd lose your control in a quarrel with children… Have you so easily forgotten our purpose for being here?" his cold gaze pierced him. "Yeah, but Gaara-"

"Shut up or I'll kill you" his casual tone irked her, how could he say such a thing without drawing any expression?

The teen noticeably shivered. "Um, right… I'm sorry!… I was completely outta line. Won't happen again!"

Gaara gave Naruko a hard stare "Sorry about my friends" the intensity of his stare was suffocating. She refocused her attention on her wrist, hoping to escape the cold look. "Yeah, no problem! My wrist is completely fine."

He cast one last sideways glance at the black haired boy beside him _"So he's the one who nailed Kankuro with a stone. That took skill…"_ a swirl of sand enveloped his entire body and he appeared standing in front of the other mysterious two, arms still crossed. "I know we're early, but we don't have a lot of time to play around." The sentence was directed at the two team 7 females and group of children.

To say their presence in Konoha wasn't suspicious would've been a lie. "Wait!" the three looked at the girl who had spoken. "You're from the village hidden in the sand… a new ally with our village, but according to the treaty your ninja are not permitted passed border, so what brings you all here?"

With just one look at the girl they could tell she was a very smart student with high grades, who else could remember all that without getting a head ache?... Well that was Naruko's opinion anyway.

"Hn… you weren't informed?" the dirty blond female smirked. "As you can see, we're junior-level ninja from the sand village; we're here to take the Chunin selection exam"

"Exam?" Naruko mistrusted the very word.

"It's a tournament of a sort where all Genin ninja from other villages compete against one another to be called Chunin, the next level of being a ninja" she finished her explanation with that same smug look.

Now she was anxious, although why they would name a battle tournament an exam was beyond her.

Sasuke popped up beside her arms crossed looking equally excited (even though he would never expressively show it). "Hey! You there, what's your name?"

Naruko dug in her pocket after remembering something important, completely forgetting about the current topic they we're all on.

"Who, m-me?" The dirty blond pointed at herself with a hoping blush.

"… No, I was talking to the spook beside you." Somehow it was Sasuke's profession to reject girls left and right without batting an eye. The girl looked really annoyed.

"Gaara of the desert…" Newly introduced red head turned his attention on him. "… And your name?"

"Sasuke Uchiha-" "AND I'M NARUKO UZUMAKI! IT'S NICE TO MAKE YOUR CREEPY ACQUINTANCE!" the very rude whiskered girl roughly grabbed Sasuke and Sakura by the wrists. "Sorry but we have to go!" they sped off, grabbing Konohamaru and his little gang of weirdo's.

"NARUKO! WHATS THE RUSH!" Sakura yelled at her insane teammate. "I JUST REMEMBERED THAT I HAD AN ICHIRAKU COUPON THAT LET'S ME BUY THREE BOWLS OF RAMEN FOR THE PRICE OF ONE!" she didn't turn back to see the killing look in the Uchiha's eyes.

Finally arriving at Ichiraku's with Konohamaru and his friends, along with her own team.

"Hey Naruko how have ya bee-!" the old man stopped short at the dirt face Uzumaki who sported a giant throbbing lump at the top of her head. She merely grinned brighter and smacked her coupon on the counter "Get me three bowls of ramen!" the cook looked down and examined the coupon more closely. "Sorry Naruko sweetheart but this isn't good since 12 pm this afternoon…" everyone turned their heads to the closest clock to find 1: 13 pm. Tears of sorrow sprung to her big blue eyes.

"NOOOO!"


	30. Sakuras Depression

Disclaimer: I own shit all… belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!

Sakura's Depression

Sakura exhaustedly slumped against the railing of the bridge they were currently occupying. Her blond teammate spitting over the edge, apparently challenging herself to see how far she can (shudder) spit.

"Sheesh… are we really just going to stand around and wait for Kakashi to show up like a bunch of dopes?!" she spoke with a powerful burst of withheld energy. Naruko, with a mouth full of spit, lazily raised her fist. "You… (gulp) tell it Sakura!" She blanched at the sight of her swallowing her own saliva, but continued anyway.

"I slept in late today that I didn't even get to blow dry my hair!" Naruko raised her fist hesitantly "uh… right, same… here?" she was clearly clueless, but to embarrassed to admit.

Sasuke silently glared, annoyed by his two female teammates. _"Do they really have to be so dramatic in the morning?… "_He cursed his luck for being in the only male in their group.

"OW! NARUKO I SAID YOU COULD **TOUCH** MY HAIR! NOT RIP IT OUT FROM THE ROOTS!" Sakura scolded the rough blond. Naruko looked amazed by the feel of her hair "Wow! Your hair is _**so**_ soft!"

Sasuke shook his head, "…stupid…" he murmured.

~Half an hour later~

"Yo-!" "KAKASHI YOU'RE LATE! YOU ONE EYED SCARECROW!" Naruko accusingly pointed at her sensei.

"In any case..." he cleared his throat. "This may come as a surprise to each of you but… I've recommended each of you for the Chunin Exam!"

Naruko latched onto his neck, forgiving him for his late punctuality "I LOVE YOU SO MUCH I COULD KISS YOU!" the constriction of her hug was cutting off his air pipe. "Stop it! (gasp) you're embarrassing me!" She went in ignoring his protests, kisses covered his metal head band covered eye.

A rough pull on the back of her large white collar had her coughing and gasping for air. Sasuke stood holding the fabric looking annoyed "Just give us the applications already!"

Relieved, Kakashi handed each of them the papers required "Now remember you can back out if you absolutely want to, just don't hand them in. but if you are willing to take the exam than hand these in room 301 at the school, time would be 4:00 in the afternoon. Well! That's all!" he disappeared in a black blur.

His two rival students looked excited. "OH YEAH! THIS IS GONNA BE SO AWESOME! WATCH ME WIN EVERYTHING!"

Both mature teens ignored the hyper girls yelling, too caught up in their own thoughts to pay attention.

"_I may get to face off against that red headed kid!"_ Sasuke shivered at the thought of a good challenge.

Sakura thoughts were clouded with doubt _"I… don't want to… I can't even keep up with Naruko!"_ she glanced over to her right at the blond. _"This will be too much for me! I can't do it!"_

"HEY SAKURA I'M TOTALLY PSYCHED FOR THIS! COME AND TRAIN WITH ME!" Naruko pulled her out of her sad thoughts. Her smile sure was contagious, but the feeling of uselessness still stuck.

"Uh… No, that's okay Naruko. I promised my mom I would come straight home after the meeting!" she almost reconsidered her decision when she made that chest fallen look. "Oh… Well that's okay! I'll just go anyway! I need to be in tip top shape if I'm gonna be in that Exam!" and just like that she bounced back.

"Idiot, you should fill out that application first before you do anything else." Sasuke finally spoke. "YEAH?! WELL NO ONE ASKED YOU!" Naruko retorted.

~Next day~

"Hey guys!" their little ball of sunshine smiled guiltily. "Yeah… I need some help in filling this out." Sakura was too exhausted to scold her so early in the morning… and Sasuke couldn't care less, he could tell yesterday she was going to do this anyway.

Naruko watched Sakura with concern. Ever since yesterday when they were handed the application she had gone into a depression. _"She seems almost… worried… wondering what's bothering her?"_

Once they had filled out their blond teammates application team 7 arrived on the third floor. A crowd of Genin ninja gathered around a single door, which they guessed was what they were also looking for. A weird boy clad in green sat on the ground covered in bruises from a fight.

"What a bunch of wet nosed, brats! If you can't even get passed the door than what makes you think you'll be able to handle the test?" two Genin ninja stood in front of the door, denying everyone entry in the room.

Sakura stepped through the threshold into the hallway, a familiar feeling washed over her but she chose to ignore it. Sasuke smirked at the feeling, already seeing through the guise.

"Why don't you let everyone pass already? And drop the illusion while you're at it. I have business on the third floor." Sasuke stood off to the sidelines smirking at their shocked faces.

"You figured it out huh?" one of the two boys smiled, impressed at their quick observational skills.

"It was easy right Sakura?" said girl looked up surprised. "Yeah! Sakura's the smartest on our team! She wouldn't let-whatever we're talking about get passed her!" Naruko tried to offer her a compliment.

"…_Sasuke… Naruko…"_ the pink haired girl sighed in relief. "Of course I noticed it! Obviously we're still on the second floor!"

The room moved and warped as the Genjutsu lifted; revealing that they were indeed still on the second floor.

They both of the teens gave sinister smiles "Not bad… but just seeing through it isn't-ENOUGH!" Sasuke easily backed away from a head aimed kicked. Hands in his pockets he swung up with his own kick, his abdominal being his target.

Both attacks were caught by an outside interference. The green clad hero held both of their shins in a vice grip, a look of fierce determination clouded his features. No one could've guessed this kid was beaten up only moments ago.

Even after both fighters pulled away Naruko couldn't get the thought of a leaping frog out of her mind. His big eyebrows were a little disturbing but she couldn't care less.

A pupil-less lavender eyed male strode up beside him "Weren't you the one who proposed we avoided any unwanted attention?" his voice was hollow and monotone. She grimaced at the idea of another stick-in-the-mud Sasuke attitude.

"Yeah, but" The large eyebrow guy blushed in Sakura's general direction. The expression made both team 7 female's look on with question.

He walked towards them, his attention never leaving her pink haired teammate. "Hi! My name is Rock Lee. You're Sakura, aren't you?" he questioned.

She could've swore his giant grin gleamed. "Would you go out with me? I will protect you with my life!"

Naruko stood casually arms crossed behind her head, smiling. The day's entertainment just never seemed to cease.

"Uh… no thanks, your **way** to outta hand" She didn't even have time think the answer over. The bowl haired teen hung his head in rejection.

Naruko lightly chuckled "Ah! Love! One of the leading causes to being a fool!"

Sasuke watched the whole pathetic scene with boredom "Hey you!" he turned when he was called, only to find glaring lavender eyes.

"What's your name?" this stranger demanded.

"It's common courtesy to give your own name first." Sasuke cockily replied. "You're a rookie aren't you? How old?" he pressed. "I don't have to tell you a thing." With a final sour glare they turned on their heels away from each other. The purple eyed guy's female teammate blushed at the Uchiha _"Wow… He's both cute and cool."_

Sakura grabbed Naruko and Sasuke's wrist happily, her old self returning. "Let's go guys!" she hummed a happy tune while pulling her teammates down the hallway. "Yeah! Let's do it!" Naruko skipped beside her.

Sasuke sighed in irritation "Okay, okay… just stop pulling."

Rock Lee watched the team walk out of sight. An unreadable expression pulled on his face. "Hey Lee, are you coming? Let's go" his bun wearing teammate questioned. "You guys go on ahead… I have to check something out." he answered without turning.

Even without seeing his expression his teammates could tell he was thinking of doing something reckless. "Okay, well… hurry up" instead of questioning his motives they left him to do what he wanted.

Naruko walked in front of both of her teammates feeling excited for the Exam. "Hey you with the scowl! Wait up!" a voice from above stopped them. She looked back with cat like curiosity.

Sakura paled at the individual who spoke, the boy from earlier who had introduced himself as Rock Lee.

The Uchiha smirked "What is it?" he asked, but already knew the answer.

"Me and you right now, wanna fight?"


	31. A Total Mismatch!

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!

A Total Mismatch!

Lee jumped over the railing of the balcony, landing gracefully before team 7. "My name is Rock Lee! And I would like a bout with you Uchiha Sasuke!"

"So you knew who I was all along?" he gave him a blank expression.

"That is right! I wish to test the effectiveness of my technique against the last survivor of the great Uchiha clan!... besides…" a longing look was thrown in Sakura's direction, which she backed away from nervously. "Those eyes are just too creepy!"

"You're an angel!" he ignored her hateful comment and blew a series kisses at her, which were narrowly avoided.

Exhausted, she straightened back up looking disheveled from all the dodging "YOU KEEP YOUR WEIRD KISSES TO YOURSELF CREEP!" she had felt like her very life was on the line.

"So you're still challenging me even after you know my linage? You're a fool" they glared at one another for a moment. "So dog-brow… do you really want to know what it means to be an Uchiha?" he growled.

"Yes…" Lee glowed in self-confidence.

"Hey! I don't understand! What the hell is going on here?!" Even after everything was clearly played out in front of her Naruko just couldn't comprehend the entire situation.

"Shut up idiot, sit back and watch!" to her surprised he lunged at the boy.

Sensing the attack, Lee jumped and threw a kick to his head. His speed was unsettling, but he ducked undeterred.

In a split second the Uchiha was sent flying backwards from a devastating kick to the head.

"_What?! But I ducked last moment!"_

Naruko watched the confusing battle with shaky breathe. "Whoa! **I** didn't even see the hit!"

There was a jutsu at play and Sasuke was determined to reveal it. He slowly stood. "You're good, but I'll see through that move!" he glared with bloodshot eyes, his usually blended pupils showed two comas settled on the opposite side of one another.

Naruko gasped. _"Those eyes! Like back on the bridge!"_ the memory of that day flooded her thoughts. Unwanted feelings filled her, regret, sadness, guilt… she pushed them to the furthest corners of her mind and refocused on the present time.

Rock Lee smirked. _"The Sharingan! Time to prove myself Master Guy!"_

Sakura watched the fight with a growing anticipation _"Once Sasuke uses the Sharingan __**no one**_ _can match him!"_ she was rooting for her all-time favorite person.

For the second time he lunged at him, confident in the battle which he thought was now in his favor.

Sasuke was caught in an upper kick, his chin suffering the most damage.

Now the Uchiha was searching for answers in his head, shock and surprise were the dominating feelings within him. _"I couldn't see anything! Than that means…!"_

"That's right! I use neither Genjutsu nor Ninjutsu!" Still airborne Lee appeared behind Sasuke.

"S-SASUKE!" Naruko finally found her voice in the heat of the fight.

From below Naruko and Sakura's mouth open in awe as Lee's bandages come on done, a tornado of white cloth surrounding both fighters.

"The Sharingan can only see through Genjutsu and ninjutsu apparently! I've put blood, sweat, and tears into training my body for Taijutsu techniques, unlike you… You are physically inferior to me!" the bandages enveloped the both of them.

A soft thud to right stopped his movements, the cloths fluttered to the ground lifelessly. Lee looked to the right at the disturbance, surprised to find a familiar pinwheel tacking his bandages into the wood of a beam.

"That's enough Lee!"

He obediently jumped away from the Uchiha with a grunt, leaving him still flying in the air on his own.

Not thinking, Naruko ran under Sasuke and threw her arms upwards in the hopes of catching him. "I GOT EM! I GOT EM- Oof!"

She didn't count on the Uchiha to weigh so fracking much. Coming back around she grabbed the sides of his head and shook him back and forth worriedly. Not noticing how he trembled in her hands. "SASUKE BUDDY! ARE YOU OKAY!? SPEAK TO M- Hey look! Bushy brow is bowing to a turtle!" Something more interesting easily caught her attention.

Just as she said, Lee was indeed bowing to a giant turtle apologizing profusely. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I never meant-!"

"FOOL! Do you think I care for your excuses!? Consider the repercussions of a shinobi-Any shinobi! Baldly explaining all his secrets to his enemy!" the turtle was furious, which was comical from Naruko's point of view.

"Y-yes sir…" Lee feebly twiddled his thumbs.

"Are you prepared?" the turtle asked. The green clad boy only nodded.

"Take it away, Master Guy!" a cloud of smoke exploded atop his shell.

Team 7 questioned the sudden timid nature of the fierce fighter Lee, but Sasuke could only shake his head in embarrassment, not believing he had just lost to a guy who was getting scolded by a turtle.

"AH! The exuberance of youth! All of you are full of it!" their eyes practically popped right out of their head at the extremely weird individual. He wore the same goofy green outfit Lee fashioned, and the same dorky bowl haircut. Their resemblance was uncanny, right down to the eyebrows!

Naruko's mind raced with name's "Uber-eye brows! Caterpillar Sensei!" instead she kept to the original. "**Super-bushy brow sensei**!"

"H-HEY DON'T MAKE FUN OF MASTER GUY!" Lee immediately defended him.

"SHUT UP! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO MAKE OF ALL THE FREAKS WHO KEEP POPPING UP IN HERE!" she yelled back.

He opened his mouth to say something else until his master spoke. "Lee!" he pointed to the ground in front of him, where he obediently stood.

All of team 7 was caught off guard when Guy punched his student across the room. "IDIOT!"

Everyone was too stunned to figure out what had just happened and continued to watch. Although it was funny it was a little suspicious at the same time.

Guy kneelt in front of him tears freely falling. "L-lee…" Blood trailed down his chin, a swollen puffy face held back tears. "M-master guy! I-I…"

"No! No more words Lee!" he interrupted with a crushing hug. Lee did not hesitate to hug back. "Master!"

Sasuke and Sakura looked disturbed and sick, while Naruko sniffled in happiness. "That's really sweet!" her teammates gave her a weird look.

"It's okay Lee! I understand. You're young! But I cannot let it go unpunished! Five hundred laps around the practise arena after the Chunin exams!" his student saluted him with a grin. "Of course Master Guy! You are too kind!"

Sasuke watched the ridiculous duo, these two were just two… weird. "So how is Master Kakashi?" Super bushy-brow sensei's question was directed at all of them but the black haired boy was the only one to answer. "You know our master?"

"Do I know him? I should say so, we are arch-rival's!" in the blink of an eye he was behind all three of them rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Naruko jumped "JEEZE! DON'T DO THAT!"

He chuckled; they could swear his smile sparkled!

"I'm stronger than he is!" they didn't doubt he was, especially with his inhuman speed. "I know Lee started this fight, but pity him for his old teacher. For the sake of my own self-respect forgive him!"

He tossed a Kunai at the still spinning pinwheel "You and Lee should all go to the classroom now. Best of luck Lee!" with that all finished he disappeared in a black blur.

To say his first impression on them wasn't a memorable one would've been a lie. But the three teens weren't about to go around telling people they met a weirdo wearing a skin tight green suit.

Naruko glanced down at the scarred, cut up mangled appendages that were Lee's hands. Although it was unnecessary she still felt a strong feeling of pity towards him.

He re-bandaged up his hands when he noticed her staring "I have to say Uchiha, I was blowing smoke before. I am here to prove my own strength in combat! But I don't believe you are the strongest Genin in Konoha!" Sasuke slightly glared at this. "Actually the stronger junior ninja is on my own team… but you are on my list of fighters!" He hopped back upwards unto the balcony "OFF TO APPLY FOR THE EXAM! BE READY UCHIHA!"

Naruko took a single sideways glance at her teammate. Sasuke clenched and unclenched his fists in a silent rage, which irritated her, if he was angry than he should show it.

A sigh an escaped her as she crossing her arms behind her head. "Well… looks like your hot shot Uchiha clan isn't so great after all Sasuke."

"

Naruko!" Sakura gasped at the incredibly rude comment.

The cold Uchiha glared at her casual form from the side of his eye. "Shut up… next time, he's dead meat!"

"Despite the total butt kicking you got this time right?" Sarcasm dripped off every word in her sentence.

"Shut up Naruko!" Sakura tried to defend the poor pride damaged Uchiha. Honesty, Sakura could be such a mother hen; nothing would come of coddling him endlessly like a lost child.

"You saw his hands Sasuke… probably gets a lot more serious training than you!" She caught his eye with a challenging look she gives every time they try to best one another. He had to admit it was before irritating and effective. "You're toast, pal"

He looked down, his face twisting into angry scowl. Than after a short silence he looked up with her same challenging look. "Looks like things are getting interesting! This Chunin selection exam is starting to get my blood boiling."

Both girls grinned brightly.

"Naruko? Sakura? Let's go!" Standing straight they followed him happily.

"OH YEAH, BABY! WE'RE TOTALLY GONNA MOP THE FLOOR WITH EVERYONE! WATCH AS THE AWESOME NINJA FROM TEAM 7 TAKE IT ALL! BELIEVE IT!"

"STOP TALKING YOU DITZ!"


	32. The Challengers!

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!

The Challengers!

Once they stepped through the threshold of the doorway judging stares and unknown faces were the first things to see.

"Whoa…." Naruko was trying her very best to contain her surprise. Crowds of people flooded the area around the entrance, most likely to get a good look at the newcomers.

She felt naked with their eyes on her, sizing her up as if she were a piece of meat… but she grinned and beared it. Of course the Sasuke would look cool and indifferent, which irritated for some reason to no end! All the while Sakura looked about ready to crack under pressure.

"SASUKE! Where've you been cutie?!" during their awestruck shock, not one of them had noticed a bleach blond female sneak up behind them.

She hung off Sasuke's neck with a mischievious look. "I could hardly wait! It's so exciting, seeing you again after all this time!"

The black haired boy gave her an annoyed look.

Her very presence irritated all of team 7, all except Naruko who seemed to interested in the area behind them.

Looking past the two arguing girl's the blond spotted the person she didn't expect to see.

"Hey Shikamaru! Choji!" the pony tail wearing boy smirked at the sight of her. "Naruko…"

"What are you doing here Shikamaru?! I thought you'd be lying under a tree all the time after graduation!"

"Yeah, well… apparently that's not the case" she nodded her head in reply and stared at Choji. With a sudden lunge his circled chubby cheeks were in her fingers. "Choji! How have ya been?!" he pulled away with a grunt.

"damnit Naruko!... I don't like it when you do that!." He rubbed his sore face. "I see you're still a nuisance." Naruko smiled at the comment. "But of course-!"

"Naruko! I thought I smelt you! Looks like the whole gang is here."

"You as well, unfortunately." Shikamaru's expression soured.

The blond girl shuddered he was one of the people she was hoping to not see, at least just for a while. "Kiba…"

It wasn't because she hated him or anything. Even if she wanted to she could never hate him. No, he sometimes had this tendancy to say mean things when he tried to make them sound nice, also she might have been a little creeped out by the fact that he knows her scent. She was sure he didn't mean to be weird most of the time but sometimes he could be even talk a lot more than her!

An arm caught her in a half hug half death grip, she glanced up to see a toothy grin and slited eyes also looking down on her. "Well, looks like all of the newbie teams applied huh? Wonder how far we'll make it right… Naruko…?"

Said girl only smiled and peeled his arm off her shoulder. She opened her mouth to speak when Sasuke interrupted.

"Trying us psych us out by acting cool Kiba?"

Kiba scoffed "Who's acting? The way we've been training no way can you beat us!"

"HEY! YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO BEAT ME, MUCH LESS SASUKE!" Naruko immediately took offence to the challenge. Even though she may not have liked the Uchiha he was still a teammate and if anyone insulted him than they insult the entire team!

Kiba raised his hands in front of him defence "No! no! not you Naru-!"

"Than what **did** you mean by that Kiba?!" this is what she meant when she found him confusing. First he was okay to be around but then he would say something really confusing and ruin it.

He sighed in defeat. "Women!"

She could've been like Sakura and punched him in the face, but she mostly ignored what people said.

Spotting a shy wallflower behind the two tall boy's a smile lit up her face. "Hey Hinata!"

Hinata smiled back shyly. "H-hello Naruko! A-and I'm sorry! Kiba didn't mean what he said, the way it sounded" His dog atop his head barked in agreement, while Kiba himself nodded as well.

"Oh! Okay than!" her ignorance was a bliss to almost everyone around her, but also a curse.

Shino stood quietly by himself in the group but not contributing to the conversation. "uh… hey Shino!" She couldn't tell if was looking at her or not with those circled sun glasses of his. "…Hey… Naruko…" was his deep reply. Some reason he always made her feel nervous, like a rock swinging back and forth over your head kinda nervous.

"Could you all do the rest of us a favour and just shut up?"

A white haired, glasses wearing leaf ninja rudely interrupted her and Shino's non-exsistent conversation.

"You're all new genin? kids barely out of the local ninja academy right? All wet behind the ears!" they couldn't tell if he was trying to insult them, or figure them out. Either way someone took offence.

"Who the heck are you?" Ino asked.

"Name's Kabuto, so what? You kids need to open your eyes." He lifted his chin to point behind them. All three teams looked back to find glaring eyes aimed at each of them. "Everyone's on edge from having to wait for the exam, just thought I'd give you guys a heads up before someone snaps and beats the crap out of you!"

Naruko gulped nervously. "…oh…"

"It's probabily unavoidably like all rookies, you think you already know everything. I remember what it was like."

"Are you saying this is the second time you've applied?" Sakura questioned.

Kabuto scratched the top of his head to think "Seventh… twice a year, going on hm… four years now." His non-caring attitude towards his incompetence was a bit suspicious to teams 8-10, but team 7 seemed to not care.

"Wow! So that means you've got a lot of experience, with what we can expect right?" although Sakura was praising him she couldn't stop the thought of a dimwit creeping into her mind.

"…really? seven times?! Come on man, you can't suck that at bad!" Naruko was the only to voice her thoughts on this.

The white haired male slightly frowned. "Cute, okay… the least I can do is give you sweet little babies some vital intelligence on what you're in for..." he held a deck of cards out for them to see. "…With these shinobi **skill cards**."

Sakura looked skeptical, "Shinobi skill cards?"

"To put it simply, they contain information about the skills we use, transformed into symbols and burned into the cards using chakra. It took me all almost four years to collect all the intelligence needed for this exam. In all, there is almost two hundred cards." When he said simple Naruko was sure he was gonna **make** everything sound simple, Halfway through his explanation, she was already lost.

"Here… let me demonstrate."

Kabuto sat crossed legged on the ground with a single card in front of him. Placing his two digits on top of the card a swirl of air moved around it.

"… Using my own personal chakra, each set is linked to its own possessor. A card like this one…" a tiny graph appeared on the blank card cluttering it with numbers, and a map. "It shows how many applicants each shinobi nation is sending to this session of the Chunin journeyman ninja exams."

"Do you also have cards that can give information on any individual applicant?" Sasuke broke his own silence with his question.

"Ha ha… Why? Someone here you have a particular interest in?" his smirked he irritated the usually calm Uchiha.

"Gaara from sunagakure-the sand village, and Rock Lee from Konoha."

"You know their names? Than this'll be easy." He ripped two cards from the deck with a flick of the wrist.

One glance at Naruko and it was easy to see she was clearly left trying to look as if she knew what they were talking about. _"idiot…"_

"Okay so Rock Lee… a year older than the rest of you… 20 D ranked missions, 11 C ranked… Oh! His Taijutsu skills have grown this past year, other than that he has no other skills worth mentioning" he turned the next card over to face them. "Gaara of the sand… same age as the rest of you, maybe a little younger…8 C ranked missions and 1 B ranked. Wow!... not much info on him considering he lives in dessert country… but he has come back from every mission unscathed." He tucked his cards away in a side pocket. "Almost all shinobi villages have sent equally strong genin to compete in this match… the strongest of the youngest, this test is pitiless…"

A noticeable shudder shook Naruko.

Sakura seen her change in posture and gave a sympathetic look. _"Even our loud over-confident Naruko is nervous… maybe I outta cheer her up!"_ she placed a hand on the shaky blonds shoulder. "It's alright Naruko-!"

"MY NAME IS UZUMAKI NARUKO! AND NONE OF YOU ARE GONNA BEAT ME! BELIEVE IT!" with a graceful swing of her hip she pointed at the crowd with a grin stretching ear to ear.


	33. Naruko's Test Jitters!

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Belong to Masashi Kishimoto!

The First Test!

Both Sakura and Ino were embarrassed for even knowing Naruko. Her loud outburst brought unwanted animosity towards their three groups. "Ah! Yeah! That's felt good!"

Sasuke smirked at the typical idiot, he hadn't expected her to be scared of so easily. "Hn…"

All eyes were on them now, Lee's team watched with a smug interest. "Kids got some life in her; maybe you picked the wrong person to fight Lee." Neji smirked.

Gaara watched with a blank look, Kankuro couldn't make out the facial expression to see if he was curious or just annoyed. "She's… that girl from before… the really loud one…" Both siblings were surprised to find he actually remembered her, most of the time he would only remember a person if they left a fighters impression on him, but this... was odd.

Kiba's wolf like grin gleamed "Haha! Yeah you tell'em Naruko!" Akamaru happily barked as well.

Shikamaru shook his head disapprovingly "Naruko, you just turned a room full of strangers into a room full of enemies." To him, the orange clad girl was tolerable to be around, better than most Konoha females who had only one thing on the mind. Hell! He could even go as far as to hang out with her willingly!… but sometimes… she was just so stupid!

"What did you say Shikamaru?! I'm telling the truth!" Sakura held her back with a headlock before the feisty blond could prove she was serious. "Pay no attention to my friend! She's… uh… you know, a **"**special**"** ninja!"

Kabuto shrugged his shoulders, he tried to warn her. Not his fault if she gets beaten up because of her stupidity.

As if on cue, an attacker leaped into the air out of the crowd ninja and threw two shuriken straight at Kabuto. The white haired ninja took a single step back and smirked, it was way too easy to dodge the weak attack.

He did not anticipate another attacker coming from below his line of sight. The bandaged face man who he identified as a sound ninja swung his metal arm; he had just enough time to dodge even that one. But even though he had avoided all attacks his right lens to his glasses cracked in jagged lines.

The sudden spider-like cracks in his lens baffled all who was watching. Even the Uchiha was rendered speechless "Wh-what happened?! He dodged it and something still managed to hit him!" Shikamaru gave him a nod "They probably grazed his nose… serves him right for acting all superior." He added with a bit of venom.

Kabuto staggered back a bit looking unaffected by the hit, before wrenching forward and emptied his stomach unto the floor.

Naruko was the first to rush to his side followed by Sakura. "Kabuto! Man, what's wrong?! You alright?!" she placed what she thought was a comforting hand on his back. He looked up at her with a confused and dazed look, "Uh… yeah I'm fine…" she frowned. "You don't look fine-!"

"Pretty sad for someone who's been an applicant for four years now." An ominous voice broke her scolding.

Three spooky looking sound ninja stood over them. A gravity defying haired teen smirked down at all of them. "Better add this to your cards. The three applicants from the sound will all make Chunin this year!"

An explosion of smoke clouded the entire room "Will all of you shut up!" once everything cleared, a crowd shinobi in white shirts surrounded a black trench coat. He must have been the leader because of his black clothes wear as the men and women that surrounded him wore complete white.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting." His voiced sounded both raspy and demanding. "My name is Morino Ibiki. I'm the proctor and chief examiner for the first part of the exam." He pointed in the direction of the three sound ninja. "You three! Can't carry on as you please when the exams about to start!... do you want to be disqualified?"

The slouching sound ninja with the weird ability to make Kabuto hurl was the one to speak for his group. "Sorry sir… it's our first exam, we're a little nervous."

His excuse was one giant lie that the head proctor saw through easily. "is that so?... well I guess someone outta lay down some ground rules… there will be no more fighting, without the express permission of an examining officer! Even if that permission is granted, the fighters are to reframe from killing one another! Anyone who breaks that law is disqualified, no second chances… got that?" Every genin in the crowd felt the chill in his glare, some shuddered, other's mustered weak glares of their own.

The youngest of the three sound ninja gave him a smug look. "So, this is a test for girly men?"

Ibiki shook his head, "as you wish, the first part of the selection exam is about to commence. Turn in your written application take one of these seating assignment cards…" he held a wooden square, no bigger than the palm of his hand, with the number one inscribed in the middle. "… and report directly to the seat indicated! Than we will hand out the written part of the exam."

Team's 8 and 10 quickly turned their heads in the small Uzumaki's girl's direction. Expecting a reaction. It was a fact that Naruko hadn't passed a single written exam in the academy and the very thought of one usually brought her to a nervous pile of mush.

Kiba leaned to whisper something in Shikamaru's ear. "Wow! She's really taking it well isn't she?" the ponytail genin shook his head. "Denial is to be expect-!"

"A-A P-P-P-PAPER T-T-TEST!?"

"There you go."

Sasuke sighed in irritation "The idiots going to make us lose…"

~much persuading later~

Naruko chewed on the inside of her cheek nervously, she was in no way prepared to do this test at all!

Sensing her distress Hinata lightly laid a hand on her shoulder, hoping to bring just a bit of comfort to her. the blond looked up at the white eyed girl hopefully. "D-don't worry! I bet I won't do so well either!" Naruko forced a smile. _"Yeah, thanks for the words of encouragement Hinata!"_ at least the Hyuga girl had the best intentions….

"Okay listen up! There are a few big rules that pertain to this test!" that didn't reassure Naruko anymore than Hinata's pep-talk. "… I'm not taking any questions so listen carefully. I'm only saying this once! Rule number 1! Each one of you starts out with ten points. The test has ten questions each one worth one point. Each question you get wrong, we subtract that point. Get all ten right and you retain ten, but if, example you answer three questions incorrectly we take your ten points… subtract one point for every wrong answer… and your total drops down to seven." He wrote the first rule down on the black board in front of the whole class.

"Rule number 2… this test is still a team event. Passing or failing will be determined by the sum of the points held by all three members of each cell… rule number 3, if the proctors are lead to believe he or she is cheating… than two points will be deducted from the cheaters entire team."

"I'll be looking over your shoulder when you least expect it." A spiky haired proctor cut in. His gaze was fixed on the shaking blond as if reading her frantic thoughts.

"One more thing… if any individual loses all ten of his or her points, that person's entire cell, regardless of how the other two do… will be disqualified!" Ibiki finished with a knowing smirk.

Naruko's forehead met with the hardwood surface of the long desks. _"I can feel them wanting to kill me from here!"_

Sasuke shook his head _"… I knew… the idiot's gonna be the one to fail us…"_

Sakura was shocked at hearing the last bit of news.

"You're exam… Starts Now!"

"_NO! NO! NO! I'M NOT READY FOR THIS!"_

**AN: Will Naruko's test jitters get the best of her! Will she be able to pull herself together for her team?!….. or will she completely flunk another test? Find out in the next chapter!**


	34. The Whisper Of Demons

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Belong to Masashi Kishimoto!

The Whisper Of Demons…

"_Okay… calm down Naruko! Tests can smell fear… I just have to calm down, nothing spells failure like panic."_ She took some deep breathes to calm herself. _"If I just go through them all and find the easiest question, than at least I'll still have one of my points!"_ Self-assured she proceeded to scan over the first one, a little discouraged to find a Cryptography to cipher. _"NEXT!"_

Sakura looked ahead at the back of Naruko's head; she was concerned for her whole team. If the class dunce didn't answer even one question correctly they would all be thrown out of the Chunin exams. She quickly checked over the questions, perplexed to find the farther you went into the test the harder each question got. _"There's no way Naruko can answer these questions! Sasuke either at that! I can answer them though… but what about everyone else?... it's as if the test is pushing you to cheat! Oh, I hope she doesn't try to take that way out…"_

The corner of the Uchiha's mouth turned upwards into a half-smirk._ "Well, well… I don't know how to answer a single one of these questions"_ he reread question ten over again in his head.

_This question will not be provided until the end of the exam. At that time, please answer the proctor's questions to the best of your abilities._

There was something strange about the test, that he thought he should be getting but nothing came to mind. Once again the sharply dressed proctors caught his attention. They were watching them like cats ready to pounce on mice, expecting them to do something… expecting…

Realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He cursed himself and Naruko for rubbing off on him. _"Of course! It would explain the points! And the hard questions! Why didn't I see this before? I'm such an idiot!"_ his hands folded in front of his face, a look of concentration etched into his Uchiha facial lines. _"This part of the exam isn't only testing our intelligence, but also our information gathering skills! They want us to cheat like real shinobi! And __**not **__get caught. We're ninja, sometimes we're sent out on missions that require us to gain information by any means necessary!"_

He looked up at his groaning teammate, who seemed to be in her own ninth circle of hell. _"Come on you idiot, figure it out already. Any minute now anybody who's figured it out will be going for it."_ Right now that **teamwork** she keeps blathering on about would've been her savior. But, this was a test to see if she can actually figure this whole thing out on her own. He was rather interested to see if she would fail or pass.

_**Sharingan!**_

"_DAMNIT! DAMNIT! DAMNIT! MY ONLY HOPE IS TO CHEAT! SO WELL THAT THEY DON'T CATCH ME!" _At this point she was pulling yellow pigtails over her forehead in a silly attempt to make herself invisible.

Hinata watched her blond sitting neighbor with concern. She didn't want Naruko to get kicked out so soon, they hadn't spoken to each other for a while. She was good company, like Kiba. Slightly hunching forward towards the desk she pushed her test paper out from underneath her arm towards her. "N-Naruko, you can look at my paper…" she whispered.

Naruko stared at the shy female as if she had just grown another head… which made Hinata wonder if she suddenly did. "I don't understand…" "K-kiba will be very… sad if you l-left so early…" Now she was even more confused "what? Why would Kiba be sad?"

Hinata immediately regretted mentioning him. This was in no way her affair; Kiba would have been upset with her if he was here. But Naruko was not one to let a conversation go so easily though. "W-well! Because Kiba wants to fight the best!... and b-because, well… d-don't you t-think us newbie ni-ninja's should stick to-together?"

Naruko mulled this over thoughtfully. "heh-heh okay I guess that makes sense… sorry for doubting you Hinata" she just smiled.

"_Boy this is my lucky day! Good thing Hinata was right next to me-!"_ Scratching's of pen against paper froze her movements. She knew they were watching her, waiting for her to make the wrong move… she was too close to be caught now, only one thing to do.

"Don't you get it Hinata?" the white eyed girl looked up surprised. "A world class ninja like myself, just isn't the type who cheats!" the grin was forced but hopeful. Hinata seemed hesitant to give up but nodded anyway "Oh… okay, sorry for bothering you…" With that, they turned back to their own tests. But Naruko could not shake off the feeling of a good opportunity passing her by.

"_Great! I have my pride… but now I'm a-shoo-in to flunk this whole thing!"_ she felt like crying. _"I just have to put everything all on the tenth question…"_

Both of her teammates had just finished writing their tests. Sasuke's Sharingan was a great deal of help to him. But with Sakura, there was no doubt she would complete the whole thing without any help, that was just how smart she was.

Naruko watched the clock with a slowly building dread. Each second that ticked by was like waiting for a prolonged execution. Watching people be picked off one after another around her was scary. She couldn't take it anymore, she wanted to leave, wanted to just fail the whole thing and never talk about… but doing that would only make her look weak. Doing that would defiantly make people know she was all talk and no action. She was here for one thing and one thing only, to get one step closer to becoming Hokage.

"Pencils down, get ready for the tenth question!"

She didn't realize it was about that time already. Thinking really made time fly. _"I'm risking it all on one chance!"_

"And before we get to the question itself… I'm adding one more rule." The whole class wasn't expecting that one. "This rule, is absolute… first you must choose to accept or reject the ten question. If you reject the final question than all your points will be taken away, you and your teammates will fail along with you." There was that look again, that same spine shaking, mind twisting look.

One of the applicant's rose to voice his confusion. "What?! Then why would anyone choose to reject it?!"

"Because of the other rule…" Ibiki's rules just kept on coming. "If you answer the question and get it wrong… than you will never be able to apply for the journeyman ninja exams ever again!"

Now it was Kiba who abruptly stood. "What? You can't do that! There are ninja here who've taken the exams multiple times before!"

Their chief proctor smirked. "Unluckily, I wasn't making rule in the past… I am now… I've been up front with you. You can take a failing grade now and try again later. Anyone who has doubts would be smart to reject the tenth question right now!... Ready? Begin!"

Naruko trembled in her sit. She didn't want to quit, she didn't want to be a junior genin for the rest of her life either. If she quit right now she would have a chance next year… but she would let down both Sasuke and Sakura. But if she answered the question wrong her dream of becoming Hokage would be thrown out the door.

Sakura watched Naruko sympathetically. She knew that if she was to quit right now than all she lost out on was time, come back next year and reapply. _"But Naruko's different… it would be foolish for you to take the question and sacrifice yourself for us, reject the question."_

"I-I QUIT! I'm rejecting the question!" one by one teams stood to leave. The numbers in the room quickly dwindled compared to the enormous number of people it had before this test started.

Even with all the people slowly leaving Sakura's attention never left her blond teammate. _"She's always going on about. "Lord Hokage this" and "lord Hokage that"….. Like a broken record... sorry Naruko, your dream may be crazy…"_ Her hand quietly rose to the height of her chin. _"… but I don't want to take it away from you forever."_

Her hand barely made a full flat palm before she froze. Sasuke and Sakura's eyes widened at the blonds own scarred hand raised in the air. They never expected her to actually be intimidated by words… but there she was, shaking.

The emerald eyed girl was both sad and relieved at the same time. Now the hyper blond had a chance at becoming Hokage just like she wanted.

Her hand slammed onto the desk in front of her, determination was her drive, her look.

"NEVER UNDERESTIMATE ME! I DON'T QUIT AND I DON'T RUN!"

Once again her teammates were surprised by the sudden action, as well as the rest of the room.

I'LL ACCEPT YOUR STUPID QUESTION! EVEN IF I END UP BECOMING A ROOKIE FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE… I'LL STILL BECOME HOKAGE! EVEN IF I HAVE TO MAKE IT BY PURE STUBBORNESS I DON'T CARE! I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU!" she finally finished with a dignified huff.

Sasuke sighed in relief. _"Idiot didn't even think about us… but I admire her guts."_

Ibiki scowled at her decision "I'll ask you this last time… quit now while you still have the chance."

The little blond just threw him a challenging look. "I never go back on my word… that's my ninja way!"

Immediately the tension in the room lifted. Ibiki found it amazing how a small teen such as herself could dispel both her own doubts as well as everyone else's. She was quite the interesting child. "Well, I suppose there will be no need to drag this on… everyone who is still here..." all the genin took the chance to gulp, or twiddle their thumbs nervously.

"You've just passed the exam!"

"WHAT?!"


	35. The Test Of Talents!

Disclaimer: You know I own nothing! Belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!

The Tests Of Talents!

"You passed!"

Naruko couldn't tell if her jaw was on the floor or if her eyes were bulging out. Either way she was speechless.

"But what about the tenth question?!" Sakura asked.

"There is no tenth question… aside from the accept or reject thing!" his grin… was a little disturbing, but happy!

"Than what was the purpose for the other nine questions?!" The sand sibling Temari demanded.

"Those question were to test you on your spying skills… in other words you had to cheat. So we had two journeyman ninja who knew all the answers to the test also write them all out." Naruko felt like banging her head against the top of her desk violently. _"I'M SO STUPID! I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY WITH HINATA BUT I DIDN'T TAKE IT!"_ Hoping to salvage whatever pride she had left, she nodding her head. "O-of course it was so obvious! Right Hinata?" questioned girl nodded her head as well. She didn't want Naruko to feel left out in anyway.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, it was quite obvious the blond herself didn't know anything until just now. _"ditz…"_

"But of course anyone who cheated in a clumsy way… failed…" he undid his headband. Everyone watched curiously before shooting back in their sits from the shock of seeing his head. "There may be circumstances where being caught in an act of espionage can cost you more than just your life." Scars riddled the top of his head, puncture holes where screws were drilled, a burn mark engulfed the back deforming the shape of the skull. The mere sight of the whole thing looked painful to Naruko, she felt bad for him.

Sasuke could tell the marks were signs of torture. _"burn marks, holes…"_

After a few moments of gawking he retied the black headband. "Ah, but the tenth question was the first real test on the exam… it was a choice between two options. Both difficult and dangerous… no matter how dangerous the risk, there will be missions you cannot decline… we look for ninja who can help dispel his or her fears as well as others. The kind of ninja who shows considerable amount of courage." He glanced at Naruko for a split second. "by choosing to accept; you answered the most unsolvable question ever, correctly… if you keep that spirit you could possibly conquer all your doubts and difficulties you face in the future….. you've passed part one of the Chunin selection exam… I'll pray you fight the good fight."

The arrogant blond jumped up out of her sit happy as can be. "YEAH! YOU GO DO THAT! GO PRAY!"

Ibiki smiled down at the small girl. _"entertaining child"_ somehow he found it impossible for such a small thing to hold so much passion. But it just seemed right.

The window off to their left exploded once an unknown flying object tumbled through the glass. Two of the sides banner strung up to the opposite sides of the room by two kunai. Naruko was baffled by the new woman who made the incredible entrance.

"NONE OF YOU ARE IN ANY POSITION TO BE CELEBRATING RIGHT NOW! I AM THE SECOND CHIEF EXAMINATION OFFICER… MITARASHI ANKO! WELL, LET'S GO PEOPLE, TIMES A WASTIN'! FELLOW ME!"

Both team 7 teammates groaned at the same personality this person had to Naruko.

While the blond herself was wracking her own brain to figure out why this woman seemed so familiar.

~later on~

The giant terrain that stood just beyond that wired fence was enormous. Naruko had never seen anything quite like it. Moss hung here and there, a strange hissing sound was heard deeper inside, and the trees stood incredibly high twisting in different ways.

"well… it certainly does look like the forest of death" she chuckled nervously.

Anko's expression turned dark. "You're about to find out first hand why they call this place the forest of death…"

Naruko was getting pretty fed up with this old ladies superior act, she wasn't gonna scare her! Putting both hands on her hips she swished back and forth mockingly. "You're about to find out first hand why they call this place the forest of death! Blah! blah! blah!" she stood up straight and pointed at her accusingly. "Like that's gonna really scare us! You're just trying to psych us out! I'm not gonna fall for it!"

Anko grinned at her. "You're pretty cocky huh?"

Before anyone even knew what had happened Naruko was standing frozen, blood trailing down her whiskered cheek with Anko greedily licking at the red liquid. "your kind are always the first to die…" the blond in her hand's trembled in fear. Her teammates Sakura and Sasuke stared in shocked at the dark haired proctors speed.

Sensing a familiar power Anko reached into her weapons pouch and withdrew another kunai, and held it up to the limb that slithered past her shoulder. "You're kunai knife… I believe you dropped it." A grass ninja held her discarded weapon with his tongue.

"Gee thanks… but don't just stand behind me radiating bloodlust.…. unless you're in a hurry to die."

The tall long haired man backed off slowly and turned away from the both of them. "I'll try to keep it under control… but the sight of warm, fresh blood drives me crazy."

Forgetting her initial fear, Naruko stuck her tongue out and wagged it around trying to make it grow just like that mans. _"How does that guy do that?! It's so creepy, but cool!"_

Once things were settled Anko handed out consent forms that were to be signed by every member of each twenty-six cells. "Remember these forms are documents stating that you hold us in no way responsible for any… accidents… got that? Now for the exam explanation! You will be handed a scroll once you submit you're form at the hut over there." She pointed in its direction lazily.

"Seeing as there are twenty-six teams. Thirteen of you shall be handed a heaven scroll… while the other half an earth scroll. Your objectives will be to obtain both scrolls for your own team and head for the giant tower that is the center of the entire forest, only thirteen teams will be able to move onto the next round after that! ALSO! Once you are inside the confines of the fence you are permitted to use any type of fighting style you wish, even jutsu's!"

It seemed everyone's faces darkened with sinister expressions, Sasuke being one of them.

"And there's a time limit people! You have exactly 120 hours to complete this exam… which is 5 days!" Choji panicked "Five days?! What are we suppose-to do for food?!" She only shrugged. "That's you're problem… the forest is full with nature's bounty, as well as man-eating creatures, deadly insects, and poisonous plants." He hung his head in silent defeat, muttering quiet words under his breath "I won't last a day…"

"NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT THE RULES!... what you can be disqualified for." she held up four fingers. "One! Obviously if you fail to reach the tower within the time limit, with or without the scrolls…! Two! Any team that losses a member, to death or severe injury will be disqualified! Three! You can in no way leave the forest while the test is taking place!... and the most important rule of them all… you are not permitted to gaze, peek, or even blink at the inside of the scroll, until you are inside of the tower with both heaven and earth!"

Naruko was confused by the last rule. "Why not?"

Anko looked like she was expecting someone to question it and smirked. "Something bad will happen… That's all the explanation you'll get…" she was ready to turn and walk away when she remembered something. "Oh! And one final piece of advise… Stay alive!"

Sasuke sat watching the ninja enter and leave the blinded hut. _"Of course they would cover who held their scrolls… this is where our information gathering skills kick in. and stealing intelligence is a matter of life or death… Everyone is an enemy! Near the third or four day everyone will be cutting each-other's throats just to move onto the next exam… Everything will be a war-"_

"HEY SASUKE! What you doing sitting all by yourself!?" his thoughts were interrupted by the only person who was able to get a reaction out of him. Right now irritation was beckoning him. "What do you want, ditz?" he growled. "Just wanted to bug you!" she answered dimwittedly. Before running away laughing like an idiotic child who wanted to play tag.

How he wanted to knock some sense into her right now for making their team look weak in front of the others but he restrained himself. Showing that he was actually affected by her childish behavior might give his enemies a glimpse of his weakness.

He looked up at both his teammates, he was the only male of the group and felt it was his duty to protect the both of them. His imagination sub-consciously played out a scene in his head.

Naruko's bright radiant smile disappearing in a dark crimson splash of blood. He hadn't a clue what brought it on but his determination was stronger than ever now.

"_I'll have to protect the both of them… so annoying…"_

After what felt like hours, they finally got their scroll and were now standing at the foot of the open gate. Sakura held both of her hands balled into fist's in front of her nervously. Sasuke looked up at the gate without any expression at all. While their little ball of sunshine bounced up and down trying to push them to go faster.

"NARUKO CUT IT OUT!"

"I WOULD STOP IF YOU TWO WOULD STOP BEING SUCH SLOW POKES!"

"hn… idiot, stop being such a spaz and calm down."

"WELL! YOU STOP BEING SUCH A JERK-FACE!"

"clever…"

"SHUT UP!"

**Looks like the second part of the Chunin exams have begun! Will team 7 be prepared for what is ahead? Or will they be struck with more problems than they can handle? ****(AN: WILL CHOJI BE ABLE TO FIND SOMETHING TO EAT?!")**


	36. The Password Is!

Disclaimer: I own still nothing! Belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!

The Password Is…!

"Well if everyone's gathering at the center towards the tower than I think we should set traps near there." Kiba suggested. Hinata nodded, thinking it was a very tactical plan. Shino didn't say a word, his thoughts on something else. Their fur coated leader was about to question his silent demeanor when Akamaru suddenly caught a scent in the air. He glanced up at the pup surprised "Really? Already here? Well… looks like we'll be leaving earlier than usual…" The whole group stood unflinchingly as screams ripped through the entire forest leaving a hollow echo for everyone around to hear.

Sakura practically jumped out of her skin from the noise, she knew why they called it the forest of death… but that was just plain creepy. "D-did you guys just hear something?"

Sasuke seemed to hear it as well but didn't comment, like he couldn't care less.

Naruko cleaned her ears out with the tip of her pinky and strained to listen. "Nah! It's probably nothing Sakura!" she turned to walk away into the bushes.

Curious by her sudden behavior Sasuke spoke up. "Where are you going? We should think about our strategy-." "I gotta pee!" She interrupted. Now he was a little regretful for even asking.

Their pink haired teammate wore a horrified expression at her blunt answer. "NARUKO DON'T GO SAYING THINGS LIKE THAT TO ANYBODY!" but she was already out of earshot for her to hear.

A few minutes later she came back zippering her orange shorts with an accomplished grin on her face. "Damn! I really needed to use the bathroom!" the green eyed female looked about ready to smack the little idiot when Sasuke beat her to it.

The impact of his hit sent her flying sideways. "S-Sasuke! I know she talks gross but don't you think that's a little overboard?!" Sakura asked. She knew they hated one another but did he really hate her **that** much?

He ignored her "What have you done with the real Naruko?" his glared was threatening to rip whoever it was in two. "What?! Are you blind?! I'm right in front of you!... bleeding!" the imposture rubbed their cheek painfully.

"You're wearing you're shuriken throwing stars on your left leg, Naruko's right handed. And you forgot the cut she got just before the exam. You're worse at disguises jutsu's than Naruko!" A shadow hid her expression from them. "Since you've forced me to come clean-" the form released, revealing a bandaged gasmask wearing shinobi. "-Why don't you as well and tell me which one of you has the scroll!" A cloud of smoke a appeared just after the jutsu dropped, providing him the perfect opportunity for him to charge.

Predicting a frontal attack Sasuke did his series of signature hand sign's.

_**Fire style! Phoenix flower jutsu!**_

Making his own distraction, Sasuke lunged at him through the fires that engulfed the area. They pushed off one another, sending the other flying high. Sight of orange caught his attention once he was over a branch, a smirk played at the corner of his lips. Naruko twisted against her rope bindings fruitlessly "SASUKE STOP SMILING AND HELP ME OUT HERE!" he wanted to soak in his smugness just a bit longer but a rain of kunai forced him reality. His own thrown weapon found its way next to the blonds head.

A tag attached to a kunai set aflame singled a paper bomb. He cursed under his breath harshly and only managed to jump away at the last second before the tree he occupied exploded into tiny wooden splinting pieces.

Landing on all fours he ignored the dull after shock of pain and struggled to stand.

"One false move and I'll kill you…" his enemies knife was held up to his neck, daring him to make a wrong move. "Now hand over the scroll!" Sakura finally arrived. "Sasuke!"

The arrogant Uchiha smirked "…better late than never…" shocked, gas masked guy jumped away from him, narrowly dodging a kunai. Naruko jumped in the scene angry "YOU PERVERT! WON'T GET AWAY THAT EASILY!"

Lifting the back of his foot Sasuke caught the flying kunai just under his foot, his chakra keeping it to the sole of his ninja sandal. Quickly making sure both teammates weren't in his line of fire. The Uchiha did a roundhouse kick, releasing the object just at the right time. He immediately flew after it to add some extra force. The ninja coughed once the weapon struck his abdominal and once again when the Uchiha pushed it further inside.

Naruko froze at the sight of him willing to kill someone. He noticed her expression and glared "He gave me no choice! Now move! We don't know where his friends are! Got it? Keep standing around like an idiot and you'll end up dead-!" the bandaged ninja pushed off Sasuke and took off the other way. His action surprised them but they still stood wary of any tricks.

After a while of waiting, his disappearance was finally confirmed. They sat in a circle and thought up different tactics. "Remember this. If we separate again… we can't just trust each other blindly. It could end up like this again." The sole male member took charge of the team.

"So what are we gonna do then tough guy?" Naruko questioned.

"The safest thing for us to have is a secret password… that way no matter who they look like or how they sound. If one of us gets that wrong… they're an enemy! Now listen very closely I'll only say this once." Both girls leaned closer.

"It's a poem called. "Ninki"- ninja opportunity. When I ask for it here's what you'll respond…" he cleared his throat. "We thrive in the chaos of the enemy tide, quiet Shinobi don't need dens to hide. Our only concern is to watch and wait… until the enemy lowers the gate."

"And you expect me to remember this **how**?" the blond felt a little offended for some reason. "You dunce, I've already got it down." Sakura scoffed at her, it was an easy thing to remember. "Well how about a different password?... like swordfish?!" now they were ignoring her.

Suddenly a huge gust of wind tore them off their feet. Naruko was the first to fly screaming profanities for being such a light weight "DAMNIT! I HATE STRONG-!". Sasuke took cover. Sakura disappeared as well into the woods, mostly by confusion. "Sasuke!"

Sometime later once everything had died down. The Uchiha boy was left standing alone in the middle of the clearing, waiting. "Sasuke!" he turned on his heel at the familiar voice to see his pink haired teammate. He pulled a weapon "Stop right there, what's the password, Ninki!"

She stopped and nodded "Right! We thrive in the chaos of the enemy tide, quiet shinobi don't need dens to hide. Our only concern is to watch and wait, until the enemy lowers the gate." She answered correctly.

"Hey you guys alright?" They both turned to see Naruko rubbing her head sorely. "Stop right there! Naruko the password!" Sakura demanded.

"Oh yeah Ninki. We thieve in the chaos of the enemy tide, quiet shinobi don't need dens to hide. Our only concern is to watch and wait, until the enemy lowers the gate."

The emerald eyed girl sighed in relief, which was only short-live once Sasuke chucked two kunai at the blond.

"Sasuke! What the heck?! She answered the password correctly!"

He only smirked "hn… and he's fast enough to dodge my attack this time" A cloud of smoke exploded, in Naruko's place was the tall grass ninja with the long creepy tongue. "What gave me away?"

"Naruko would never be able to memorize that entire poem, she has a hard enough time remembering her ninja id number" The imposter removed his straw hat slowly. "Clever child, this could be very entertaining…"

~meanwhile elsewhere~

The wind had swept Naruko off her feet. She lay upside down against the trunk of a giant tree, groaning "Where'd Sakura go? And Sasuke? Actually where am I?" It seemed no one was in sight, anywhere. The ground around her grew dark, she wondered if thunder clouds were settling over. But the sky was completely covered by leaves from the trees, little specks of sunlight rays were here and there… it was odd.

. A blood curdling hiss vibrated in her ear drum, now she knew what made that sound before.

"S-snake!" She never knew that a snake could get to be that big. Its head was the size of her body!… this wasn't going to end well.

Its long body wrapped her, the tail must have snuck up behind when she turned to look at it. The force of its constriction had her gasping for air. In a quick fluent movement its large mouth engulfed her, a lump in its throat slowly moving downwards.

Once the Blood rushed back to her brain, a feeling of dread filled her. "I-IT ATE ME?!"

"I suppose you'd like to steal my scroll, seeing as you've already got a heaven scroll…" she (their still not sure what his or her gender is) he held the scroll in the palm of his/her hand, almost teasingly. An ugly smile formed on its dark lips ",,,I know…" it swallowed the scroll hungrily. "let's just see who gets the scroll?"

Sasuke and Sakura trembled furiously at the sight. This person was sick and creepy beyond help. All they felt they could do was stand helpless, somehow missing their moral support Naruko was plaguing both of them.

"With a fight to the death!" Its eyes took on a dark blood shot red.

The forest darkened, pulses pounded, blood splattered the forest ground…. their own blood. This mysterious person just stood watching them smiling. Did he get some kind of sick perversion from watching them suffer? It felt like a never ending pain of torture. They flinched back once two kunai knives struck them.

And just like that the illusion ended, leaving both trembling, disgusted, frightened and beyond exhausted. Sasuke wrenched forward, spilling the contents of his stomach on the ground. Sakura heavily fell to her knees not having the same need to vomit as the Uchiha but silently cried to herself. It felt hopeless to do anything, seeing something as horrifying as their death… she couldn't handle it. They felt it, seen it from his point of view, it was a feeling of terror dread fear all put into one.

"Now that you're paralyzed…" The monster reached into its weapon holster. Sasuke tried to think of something, anything to escape this. Something to beat his fear. He could only thing of a single thing and pulled forth his own kunai. _"MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!"_

"HEY! HEY YOU OUT THERE YOU BETTER SPIT ME OUT IF YOU KNOW WHATS GOOD FOR YOU!" She had already planned what she was gonna do, but gave the dumb thing a chance to release her. this thing was getting on her last nerve. "THAT'S IT!"

_**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**_

The snake grew fatter from the clones that continued to pop up inside its stomach, until his body couldn't handle the overload. Instead of barfing like she originally planned… it exploded. Chunks of it hanging off branches, larger pieces scattered across the entire ground. In the heaps of flesh Naruko clone's rose complaining about the smell. One in particular stood, hair down, covered in head to toe with blood and saliva. "I'm gonna be the next Hokage you stupid snake so don't mess with me! I've got better things to do than be a giant snake turd!... okay time to find the others." This experience was defiantly going to stick with her forever.

A hiding spot was the best he could do without getting into a hopeless fight with the monster of a man. Painfully pulling the kunai knife from his leg he was able to move again, huffing from the effort.

Sakura opened her mouth to speak, worried about his injury. But he quieted her with his hand. Right now silence was crucial… their lives were at stake, one wrong move and death would be their certain companion. _"Where's Naruko?! How do we escape this guy?!" _he felt his teammate tense than struggle against his hand and pull away. "S-SASUKE! SNAKEEE!" Caught off guard, they leaped away in opposite directions from each other.

The Uchiha was baffled. He had never even heard or even sensed it's presence. He must've been more scared than he thought possible.

His eyes widened at the familiar look in the serpents eyes. That grass ninja from before was wearing the same snake-like expression as this monster. He was terrified of that look. Running on only fear he reached into his holster frantically and threw all the weapons he could handle at the snake. Its head stuck to the trunk of the tree limply hanging off the embedded weapons. He breathed a sigh of relief. Unfortunately for him that wasn't the real enemy.

Sakura gasped once the skin of the reptile bubbled and popped. The grass ninja emerged unscathed by the assault. "For shame letting your guard down! Stay on your toes like a good prey should. It makes the chase much more rewarding… for the predator!" just like his dead vessel the man slithered up the tree. His intention clear in his eyes.

His attack was intervened by two shuriken, striking at the wood in front of his face, he didn't expected an attack. The weirdo as well as Sasuke and Sakura looked up at their savior. "Sorry Sasuke… I can't remember your stupid password!"


	37. The Target Is!

Disclaimer: I STILL DON'T OWN NARUTO! Belong to Masashi Kishimoto!

The Target Is…!

It was a glorious moment for Naruko. Sasuke helpless, Sakura staring up at **her** with admiration… yes, this will be one of her favorite memories.

"YOU IDIOT! NOW'S NOT THE TIME TO BE ACTING COOL! RUN! THIS GUY IS TOO STRONG FOR YOU!" Sasuke couldn't believe her, trying to act like a fool at a time like this.

"Well, well… it seems I've underestimated you… Naruko…" a chuckle rumbled from within the grass ninja's chest. The sound of it produced a strange chill in the air.

"THAT'S RIGHT YOU BIG UGLY FREAK! DON'T **EVER** UNDERESTIMATE THE ALMIGHTLY NARUKO UZUMAKI!" she bellowed proudly. Although Sasuke knew she had nothing to be proud about. This… thing, could easily take her down without even breaking a sweat! _"Stupid! She's going to get us all killed!"_ His Sharingan activated sub-consciously. It would have seemed there was no other solution. He wracked his brain for answers; anything to keep them all alive… that was his answer.

"If it's our scroll you want, than come and get it! Take it and leave!"

Both girls were shocked by this. "SASUKE! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" For as long as she knew him Naruko had not seen the Uchiha willingly avoid a fight, not once!

"Very good of you… instinctively knowing when a predator is too much for you… offering something of equal value." He slithered closer to his prey, waiting.

With a glance at his teammates he carelessly tossed the scroll over to their opponent.

In an orange blur, Naruko crouched next to Sasuke clutching the scroll to her chest protectively in her left hand. "YOU FOOL! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING!" he was livid. She slowly stood, her face hidden behind the blond mess of hair. He felt like shaking her until she got some kind of sense in that idiotic brain of hers.

But the moment he thought of something to say he was shot back from her mighty punch, the force of the hit sent him flying to the next tree branch over. "What do you thinking you're doing?!" he asked, a little surprised.

Sakura watched from where she stood, confused by the sudden turn of events. First Sasuke willingly wanted to give the scroll to this freak… than Naruko punching him. She was worried for both teammates welling being.

"I forgot the stupid password, so I can't prove it… but… there's no way in hell you're Sasuke!" he glared at her "… Naruko… You idiot, It's me-!"

"-**Liar!**"

He gasped, he never seen such a serious expression on her whiskered face before. "You're the idiot! Idiot! Sasuke isn't a coward, you're not him! Even if we did hand over the scroll… do you honestly think he would leave? So if you **were** Sasuke… I'd still be calling you stupid. Maybe even a chicken!" her harsh words actually affected him. Any other time he would brush her off like a pest, but right now she was right… and he knew it...

"Oh! Naruko, aren't you the clever one!" the whacked out weirdo licked his lips, hungrily. "Why bargain, when I can kill you and simply take the scroll?" he rolled his sleeve up to the elbow and drew his bloodied thumb upwards, leaving a trail on the skin of his arm.

This guy was creepy, and she could tell he was powerful. But he didn't frighten her in the least. With a running start she charged at the man, her every intent to beat him. Right now she couldn't count on Sasuke; her faith in him completely shot. "SHUT UP!"

"NARUKO DON'T DO IT!" she stop listening to Sasuke's yelling. The bark underfoot shook and cracked, but she continued undeterred.

A giant tail shot up in front of her, knocking her straight above breaking tree branches with her petite body all the way until finally stopping, she coughed up blood painfully.

"NARUKO!"

To their horror, she fell unconsciously towards the open mouth of the newly summoned snake below. Sasuke willed his feet to move but found them unresponsive. Fear gripped his whole being, causing him to tremble with dread. His only option was watch helplessly as his… friend? Fell to her death. Right now he hated himself for being weak, for being as she said, 'a coward'... _"…Naruko…" _Every beat within his chest pounded painfully against his rib cage.

An unknown force pulsed through the air and to their surprise the blond swiftly turned midair and laid a heavy blow to the top of the serpent's mouth. She continued her assault of the reptile her hits coming faster and more vicious than the last, an animalist roar vibrated from her.

Sakura could only watch, shocked. This Naruko was unbelievable strong and fast…. Just who was this new person?

Sasuke was also thinking along those lines. The person who was bringing down this monstrosity of a snake was a not the Naruko he had come to know…. or he just wasn't paying enough attention as he should.

He hadn't enough time to think when the serpent turned on him, picking him to be his next target. "It's Sasuke's turn to play!"

Sakura panicked. "SASUKE!"

Unknowingly, the Uchiha had clenched his eyes shut. Not wanting the snake to be the last thing he ever saw. It felt like hours waiting for his death, for anything. to happen… but… nothing came. He pried his eye lids open.

The sight of the blond surprised him. The blond locks that defined her curtain her face slightly. back forcibly pressed up to the mouth of the monster, two kunai knives clamped in both hands held its mouth closed, her breathing had become shallower, and blood dripped at the corners of her pink lips.

"Need you need help?... scaredy cat…" she gave him a mocking grin.

The look in her eyes… the colour… blood red, her pupil slit cut down the middle. Her newly acquired fangs gleamed with her own blood. Suddenly the whiskers on her face made sense. This was an animal, not the happy hyper blond that was Naruko. He lifted his hand to touch her, to confirm she was the real deal. But he pulled back when she was whisked off her feet suspended in the air.

The culprits tongue wrapped her arms and waist firmly suspending her in the air facing him like a doll. _"Hmm… interesting… she was able to crack the seal and use the chakra of the nine-tails to he own benefit!... rage was her trigger, but she is much too wild… not a good enough vessel. Right now she's only in the way."_ The tongue lifted the bottom of her shirt revealing an old sealing. She growled at the action and swiped at him. His right hand fingertips exploded with tiny bursts of purple flames.

Naruko screamed in agony when the fingers connected with the black markings. Sakura couldn't take anymore, "SASUKE! NARUKO NEEDS YOU!" the grass ninja cast glance at her before removing the scroll from the unconscious girl and throwing Naruko in her general direction. _"Naruko Uzumaki… surely you will be a powerful enemy one day."_

Sakura ran towards the tossed female and caught her collar before she could descend to the ground below. _"'Whew'… close one…"_ she pulled her arm over her shoulder, the extra weight barely there at all.

"SASUKE!" No response. In a time of need she thought she could rely on Sasuke… she didn't want him to be a coward. There had to be something that could get him moving again. "Okay Sasuke! Say what you want about Naruko! That she's a loser, an idiot. That she gets in the way all the time! But… Naruko is no coward!" not once ever since they were little had she ever talked badly towards the Uchiha, this was a first.

The dark haired boy replayed the entire scene in front of him over. A memory flitted back to him… a promise.

…

"_What do you want, ditz?" he growled. "Just wanted to bug you!" she answered dimwittedly. Before running away laughing like an idiotic child who wanted to play tag. _

_How he wanted to knock some sense into her right now for making their team look weak in front of the others but he restrained himself. Showing that he was actually affected by her childish behavior might give his enemies a glimpse of his weakness. _

_He looked up at both his teammates, he was the only male of the group and felt it was his duty to protect the both of them._

…

Instead of protecting he was protected, by the very person he promised to defend no less. _"Naruko… Sakura…"_ he held strong to his previous resolve. He won't let anyone, not even this freak, to harm his teammates.

Sasuke's blood shot reds immediately read him; his right hand withdrew various weapons and tossed them at the snake summoner. The opponent easily dodging each one, smirking from the lack of effort put into the attack. _"He can see my every move with those eyes of his…"_ But unknown to him each weapon was a decoy building up to the actual attack.

A giant shuriken aimed for his head, now the grass ninja wanted to laugh, this was ridicules. There was a slight pressure on his neck, arms, and legs. A light sparkled in front of his face, that's when he noticed the string hanging from the Uchiha's mouth, His smile victorious. He was harshly pulled back against the tree by the metal strings.

_**Fireball jutsu!**_

The man stood unmoving as the flames burned away at his flesh. Twisting and disfigure the skin. "So young, but such mastery of the Sharingan…" this guy wasn't human "It would appear I do want you after all Sasuke Uchiha. You're strength and raw power…"

With the limp blond over her shoulder Sakura raced to her teammate's side. "Sasuke!" He ignored her, His attention fully on the enemy. She turned to glare at him as well. But found the moment she looked into those eyes she was paralyzed, as well as Sasuke. Naruko slid off her shoulder and landed between the both of them.

"You really are **his **brother aren't you?... Itachi Uchiha…" his distaste for the individual evident in his voice. Sasuke's eyes widened at the name "JUST WHO THE HECK ARE YOU?!"

"… I'm Orochimaru, and if you'd like another rematch than finish this exam as quickly as you can…. Until than I leave you with a parting gift." His neck stretched towards them his teeth bared and sharp. Sasuke screamed in pain when he chopped down on his neck, leaving two distinguishable bloody holes.

T

"AHH! IT BURNS!" he fell to his knees clutching the bite mark. Sakura kneeled down to examine him; the holes on his neck had sizzled and formed into three black comas. "What did you do to Sasuke!" she demanded. Orochimaru smirked "He will find me… for power…." He melted into the bark of the tree. Leaving the three of them in a helpless state.

Sasuke gripped Naruko's lifeless hand in pain his other clinging to Sakura's right hand, hoping to find some kind of comfort.

"…S-sasuke…" Sakura was clueless as to what to do. Naruko was unconscious and Sasuke was hurt. She whipped her head in every direction to find an answer… she found none. _"…W-What shoud I do?!"_ A sob escaped her throat, the frustration of the situation to much for her to handle. She tried to shake the blond awake "Naruko! Please get up! Sasuke's hurt! PLEASE!" the girl remained unresponsive.

Sasuke's iron grip tightened, bruising the girl's hands. Naruko inaudibly groaned. In a reflexive response her hand squeezed back, relieving a bit of the tension.


	38. Beauty Is The Beast

Disclaimer: I still own nothing! Belong to Masashi Kishimoto!

Beauty Is The Beast

It was early in the morning on the second day of the second part of the Chunin exams. The cold air nipped at Neji, Ten-Ten, and Lee. But their disciplined minds easily blocked out the need to stay warm.

Their first day was mostly spent gathering rations for food and edible drinking water, today was a day to fight. "For the next half hour let's split up and find other teams, but whatever you find when the time is up… we meet back here." Neji struck a kunai in the ground for a marker. Both his teammates nodded and headed off in their own assigned directions.

Sakura placed the wetted cloth on the fevered Uchiha's forehead. Ever since he was bitten by that freak Orochimaru, Sasuke's been in pain. A fever had begun to develop through the night, leaving him weak and sick. But although he was improving, she could see in his facial expressions he was still in a lot of pain.

Naruko also hadn't moved through the entire night, she seemed lifeless, even though she breathed. The hotheaded blond was just extremely exhausted, in her own opinion, and just needed a lot of sleep.

Her tired green eyes trailed down towards their connected hands. Throughout the entire night Sasuke hadn't released the Uzumaki girls hand and any attempt to free her always ended with him tightening his grip which brought a slight pained expression on Naruko's whiskered face, and perhaps newly forming bruises… was she jealous, at a time like this? No, if it helped the pained Uchiha in anyway than she would gladly allow it and forget about her childish feelings... But still, the thought still plagued her mind.

An entire night without sleep also took its toll on her body but she would easily fight it off with the resolve to watch over her friends. If she couldn't fight than she would take care of them in any way she could…But with each passing minute the need for sleep only grew stronger.

Enemies watched from the cover of the shadows, waiting patiently. "Remember our main target is Sasuke Uchiha…" "What if the other two get in the way?" the youngest of the three questioned. "Kill'em"

Once again Sakura rewetted the hot cloth, Sasuke's fever simply refused to lift but she sat and waited beside him patiently. The lull of silence made her drowsy. Catching herself from nodding she had to slap herself to stay awake. _"I have to protect them!_

The light of dawn shone through the various hanging plants of the forest; exhausted and kept She listened carefully to the sounds around her. Night had passed by with much difficulty, anything that seemed out of place she would immediately watch that particular spot until deemed safe. But paranoia was getting the best of her, the sleep deprived state she was in.

She jumped and turned when something cracked behind her. An exhale of air left her lungs when all she seen was an adorable squirrel, just staring at her. The little creature was shot a playful glare. "What do you think you're doing scaring me like that?" It scurried on its way over towards her. A gasped escaped her; before the squirrel could get any closer a kunai struck the ground before it. The sudden action startled it, making him turn tail and scamper off in the opposite direction.

"Do you think she noticed the paper bomb that was on the squirrel?" The three figures watched the scene intently. Testing their soon to be opponents. "No…. "He said doubtful "Let's get closer to see what she was protecting shall we?"

Lee leaped from tree to tree his previous order still fresh in his mind. But his teammate Neji said nothing about putting in a bit of training while he was scouting. Quickly calculating the number of leaves that shook off the tree he had landed on, Lee gave himself a goal. _"Okay! If I cannot catch all 20 leaves before they touch the ground than Sakura will fall in love with me!... but if I miss even one…. Than my love for her will never be requited!"_

Lee jumped after them, determined to complete his goal. 17, 18, 19…. just one more leaf to go. A bright fire caught the corner of his eye. His finger flicked the edge of the leaf before jumping to out the flame. He held the relieved tiny animal in the palm of his hand, feeling bad for him. "Just who would ever attach a paper bomb to such a small animal?!"

"There is no point in hiding… I know you're there!"

Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino all froze. They had hoped the Hyuga hadn't seen them, but they guessed wrong.

"Our master Plan A, hide till everyone who might hurt us is gone… failed, time for plan B." Both boy's groaned, this was where their pride died.

Excitedly, they all jumped out at once smile's boring on each of their faces. "Wow! You're Neji Hyuga! Last year's rookie of the year, you're so famous!" Ino gushed; somehow it seemed so right when she did it...

"Can I have your autograph?" It may not have shown on his face but Shikamaru did die a little on the inside. He was actually very jealous of Choji right now; he didn't have to say anything at all!

Their object of false affection frowned. "Oh it's you three…"

"_Time for part two of Plan B… where you fall head over heels in love with me~!"_ Ino's hand pulled the tie from her bleach blond hair. The hair cascaded down her back like a flow of water. And in her sweetest voice "I've been waiting to meet you for a very long time Neji… and I was wondering-"

"Get lost!" He abruptly turned his back on her and walked away. She shook her fist in anger. _"What the heck!? Why didn't he fall for my beauty?!"_ "That fist you're making at me… does that mean you want to fight?" he didn't even turn to look at them. She stood up straight "O-Of course not!" she sputtered nervously. "Then get lost, I would rather not embarrass myself by taking a scroll from you losers.-" "OKAY!" once the words left his mouth they were gone, happy to escape. _"Just like cockroaches…"_

Shikamaru struggled to regain the breath he had lost. They had put (what they thought) a great distance between themselves and Neji. The Hyuga teen was just too scary to fight.

"Hahaha! Well let's go find us some weaklings!" Ino suggested with a fake laugh. Shikamaru shook his head _"I doubt anyone is weaker than us…."_

~Back With Team 7~

"Not a very good watch guard… look at you, you're half asleep." Sakura's head shot up, she was just on the verge of falling asleep when his voice startled her. "Now if you don't mind… wake up Sasuke, so we can fight him." She recognized the three of the ninja, they were the ones who made Kabuto throw up without touching him. And she could guess they were sent by Orochimaru.

"I know Orochimaru is your boss! So what do you want?!" They were surprised that she even knew the named at all. "What's this weird mark on the back of Sasuke's neck?!"

The spiky black haired member of their team gave a sickening smirk. "She knows way too much… I'm going to kill you little girl, and your weak Sasuke!" he made a move to walk towards her when the slouching ninja threw his arm out in front of him. "Wait a moment Zaku!" He crouched and pulled a patch of grass from the ground. "Just as I thought… this grass doesn't grow here, and the soil is loose… as if someone recently dug it up."

Sakura gave him a harsh glare.

"You're trap was too obvious, Kin! Zaku!... we kill the girl first." No one objected, in fact they gladly charged at her with an Ariel assault. The green eyed teen pulled a hidden kunai from the back of her holster and smirked. She cut an invisible thread next to her which triggered her real trap. A giant log hurdled through the air, and conveniently for Sakura they all jumped in its path of flight. "The Trap was above us all along!" they were shocked.

But to her horror the log exploded, the three of the members coming out unharmed. "You have no talent as a ninja… They make weaklings such as yourself ninja, is embarrassing! It's an insult to be underestimated by slackers like you!"

_**Leaf Hurricane!**_

A large green blur knocked all the enemy shinobi out of the air, sending them flying back to their original spots. "Look who's talking! Why not take your own advice instead!" Sakura's head spun with confusion. _"Why is Lee here?! We're suppose-to be enemies!"_

"Who are you?" The bandaged leader snarled.

"I am Rock Lee! The Leaf Villages handsome beast!"

"… Lee…. Why are you here?" Her voice sounded scratchy and quiet. It was different from her usual confident tone.

The 'handsome beast' gave her a breathtaking smile. "Because… you needed me, and I will always be around when you need me!" Placing the squirrel he saved on the ground Lee urged the little thing off, thankful for its help in finding the maiden in distress.

Sakura was speechless, her eyes watered in happiness. But instead of crying she settled to give him a relieved smile and a shrug. "I don't know how to thank you. You're a life saver!"

"Sakura… I promised, I would protect you with my life!"

She stared at his back with a lopsided smile. This guy… was just like Naruko. So brash and never forgetting a promise. She was thankful to him.

"_I DID IT, GUY SENSEI! I'M THE ONLY ONE SAKURA IS LOOKING AT!"_ Green clad Lee's eyes burned with passion.

The leader of the three sound ninja threw their scroll at the black haired teen named Zaku. "It can't be helped… Sasuke's all yours Zaku!" he smiled his appreciation for the new promotion.

Lee glanced back at Sakura for a brief moment, noting her exhausted half closed eye lids. She was in no condition to fight, he had to take down all three with strength alone if he had to!

His creepy opponent charged for a frontal attack. Offering up whatever help she could muster, Sakura tossed a kunai at the feet of their enemy. And as expected It was easily dodged.

But Lee dug his hand into the ground beneath his feet and pulled up the stump of the tree that Sakura took shelter under. Instead of dodging he had given him another target to hit. "I've seen what were to happen if I was to dodge your attack! I would rather not bother trying to at all!"

The sound ninjas were impressed; he wasn't just some dumb kid who spouted a lot of none-sense after all… he was an actual fighter.

~ Back with the bickering trio!~

Ino had just tied her hair back up its original long ponytail. So far their team has gotten nowhere, they were easily found when they tried to hide, and her self-confidence was shot when Neji turned her down. Seriously, the white eyed male didn't even hesitant for a moment!

"Okay! We need to find us some weaklings!"

Shikamaru scratched the back his head in annoyance. He was a logical thinker, and so far the only team he could think of that even qualified of being weak was Naruko's team. Even if he was friends with the hyper idiot, his team was in serious need of an equal opponent. "Well… Naruko's team is pretty weak." He offered.

For some odd reason Ino took offence. "What are you saying you idiot?! Sure Sakura and Naruko are total losers! But they have Sasuke! The best of the best!" She was most likely only saying that because of her affection towards Sasuke. Shikamaru found this girl a pain in the neck but for the sake of the team, she needed to get over her feelings.

"Well maybe your 'precious' Sasuke is better in theory than in practise." he interjected. She gave him a scornful glare. "Okay, okay… sorry for insulting your idol." This was one of the reasons why he never bothered trying to make any friends with the girls in school… besides Naruko. Most were followers of the Uchiha, like his teammate here.

"There's no way! Anyone here is going to beat Sasuke! And Sakura? She's such a wimp!" she laughed by herself.

"Yeah? And what about Naruko?" Shikamaru questioned. "… hmm, Sure she's gotta lot of spunk, but when it comes right down to it? Naruko's nothing but bark!"

"Hey! Sasuke and Naruko are unconscious! And Sakura's defending them." Choji pointed in the direction behind them. Shikamaru and Ino's argument was immediately forgotten. "Wh-What?!"

Ten-Ten tapped her foot on the grassy ground impatiently. Her and Neji have been waiting on Lee for just about 15 minutes now… it wasn't like the bowl haired boy to be so late. "You think he got himself into trouble?" Neji shook his head. "Not likely… But let's go and look for him to be sure." Actually there was a big probability that Lee was in a fight at the very moment, but Ten-Ten didn't need to know that. She would only worry, and that would have been a disadvantage for the both of them.

~Team 7 & Lee~

Lee unwrapped the bandages on his forearms and hands, his head down cast towards the ground. _"Master Guy! Please forgive me, I will have to use __**that**__ technique! Someone precious to me is endanger!"_

The one eyed ninja crouched to leap off his feet and lunge, but was struck high in the air by an upper kick. Faster than a blink of an eye Lee had landed a blow without even breaking a sweat. Now suspended into the air Dozu was already within Lee's trap. Sakura recognized the move he was using. It was the same move he had used against Sasuke. Though she didn't see the whole technique she didn't doubt that the bushy browed genin could take him down.

His white bindings wrapped the sound ninja, keeping his hands, feet, and legs bound to each other. Gripping his torso harshly Lee began to spin downwards to the ground. The speed and spin of their descent would no doubt kill the bound ninja.

_**Primary Lotus!**_

Zaku stuck both hands into the ground, a trail dirt burst up towards them. But before they had hit ground Lee jumped away.

"Just in time… That impact could've killed you…" The dirt had softened his fall. But he still seemed to stagger from the after effect. "That is surely a terrifying move… even with my soft landing bed, I was still almost taken out."

Lee stumbled to his feet tiredly. Master Guy had warned him of the effects it would have on his body… But he really thought he could handle it better.

Seeing his opponent in his weakened state Dozu tried for another frontal attack.

Set as a reflex Lee dodged the poorly swung attack. His vision blurred and spun, landing on his knees he doubled over in pain. The tip of his finger touched the outer shell of his ear in pained wonder, the small action sent more jolts of electricity through his head. Blood overfilled his ear and slid down the side of his face. All he could do was press both palms to the opening of his ear.

The sound ninja lifted his metal arm, indicating to the contraption on it. "You see this…? It's a little accessory that generates 150 phons of vibrations in the air, and those vibrations rupture the tympanic membrane… causing… nausea, dizziness, and blurred vision." There was the smallest hint of a smirk in his one eye.

"So you see… crude little physical attacks don't work against us" Pulling his hands free from the ground Zaku pointed the palm of his hands outwards towards them, showing two holes on both. "I can use sound waves as weapons… with enough force to shatter boulders or in a situation like this… make a soft bed out of rocks." he gave a cocky smirk.

They set their sights on Sasuke's self-acclaimed bodyguard, after beating Lee… with some difficulty. Sakura braced herself for the evitable attack, a kunai in hand.

_**Leaf hu-!**_

Lee's surprise attack was cut short from the harsh thrumming inside his ear.

"My last attack is starting to take affect now…" he heavily swung for the side of his bowl shaped head. Lee blocked the attack his both arms. The moment the arm made contact a wave of air rushed to his head into his ear.

Lee flopped flat on his stomach exhaustedly. The last bit of his strength was used, hoping to protect the defenceless Sakura.

It was amazing actually, Dozu thought. Not anyone of them would've anticipated anymore attacks from the green clad taijutsu user. They had extremely underestimated their opponent… but after their next attack they wouldn't have to worry about the interloper getting in the way, ever again.

"You're quite the strong opponent… but we have no need to continue this fight anymore.."

"I don't think so!" Sakura tossed five well aimed shuriken at him, hoping the surprise attack would get him. Her hopes were dashed the second he lazily lifted his arm to block them. _"Damn…!"_

~From the safety of a near-by bush~

"Running away sounds like a good plan! Those guys are getting creamed!" Choji whispered his thoughts.

Shikamaru's hands balled into fists. He felt concern for his blond friend but couldn't act to make a move, at least not without his self-appointed team leaders say so. "Well Ino? What are you gonna do? Sakura's out there fighting by herself! With no one to help her!" he knew they were friends long ago, they were the most annoying couple of girls he could remember. Using that bit of information right now would help her make her decision faster.

Not taking her eyes off the fight occurring in front of her Ino gulped nervously. "Why are you asking me?"

"Sakura was your best friend wasn't she? You can't simply leave her out there to die can you?!"

His words stung her.

_~flashback~_

"_Hey… Ino…?" The tiny pink haired girl was unusually quiet today. Well, more so than before she came out of her shell._

"_What's up Sakura?" Ino asked brightly._

"_I heard someone say…" she seemed hesitant to say anything._

"_Say what?" she pushed._

"…_That you liked Sasuke too…"_

_There was a shock of silence shared between the two and Sakura took it as confirmation._

"_I guess that…. makes us rivals now…"_

_~end flashback~_

"There's nothing we can do! If we blunder now… we may just make things worse for us!" a bitter forgotten memory was pushed to the recesses of her mind, along with a nagging feeling of guilt.

Once again, an attack attempt by Sakura were repelled by Zaku. His sonic wave pulses repelled every shuriken she threw, sending every one of them right back her. Her foot was caught under her other and was stumbled forward on hands and knees.

The female enemy of the three appeared behind her, and took a hand full of her pink locks. A painful yelp escaped her lips when she yanked harshly from the roots.

"My… what lovely soft hair. What ninja technique is that? The art of deep conditioning? You're nothing but a disgrace to all shinobi… fussing with your looks instead of training…" An evil smirk crawled its way onto her face. "Zaku… kill one of her little friends in front of her… least we can do is entertain her.." They both chuckled darkly at her proposal.

"Sure!"

Zaku had no intention of killing Sasuke just yet he wanted a good fight out of the new interest. So he walked towards the sleeping blond, this one seemed too small to be a genin, too innocent looking.

Grasping her by the collar Zaku tried dragging her towards his teammate. But found her abnormally heavy and looked down at their connected hands with a scowl. Ninja's acting foolish.

It was a losing battle for Sakura, she felt weak and incompetent for the first time. In the classroom she was top rank, one of the best! But out here…. This was the real shinobi world... She was nothing but lead weight for her team. Having to be constantly protected by both teammates. Even Rock Lee protected her, and they weren't teammates! She didn't want to always be a burden on everyone. She wanted to be like Naruko, she wanted to be a person who could take care of herself.

Kunai in hand she clutched the hilt like a life line. "Ha! Do you really think any more of your silly tricks will work on me?" Kin laughed at the girls growing idiocy.

"…Think so…?"

In a fluent shift movement, Soft lines of pink flittered through the air around Sakura. Her once beautiful tresses hacked into a short jagged bob.


	39. Sakura and Ino

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!

Sakura and Ino

_I'd always thought myself as a full-fledged ninja….. Proud to be an equal as I trailed after my teammates…. Crushing on Sasuke and scolding Naruko.… watching them safely from the background… while they would risk everything to protect me… Even Lee…_

Pink strands of hair fell to the ground at Sakura's knees. Kin held chopped the handful of pink tresses in her right hand, gaping in shock.

Ignoring all stares around her Sakura stood proudly, her back turned carelessly to the enemy. Mangled bits of pink hair stuck out in all angles, a badly cut bob.

Right now she felt there was no way she could lose. She had to win, to protect her teammates.

… _Watch me now!_

Quickly getting over the initial shock Kin forcibly pushed four withdrawn kunai into her side. The power behind her push caused a surprising explosion. A substitute log appeared in the pink headed girls place… she was smarter than they gave her credit for.

Zaku easily recognized what she was doing; he had to laugh at the first year tricks. This girl was no shinobi; she was nothing but an amateur.

She charged straight at him from the left, her weapon of choice a barrage of shuriken. Smirking he blasted her with a powerful burst of chakra. Repelling all objects right back at her. But not before she could make the hand signs for the substitution jutsu once again.

"You're nothing but a one trick pony! And let me guess… you're coming from above!" just as predicted she was above him eyes wide at being found out. Feeling a little cocky Zaku threw only two kunai at her, knowing she would only do the substitution again. "My weakest attack should be enough for you…"

Once all weapons embedded themselves into the scratched up skin of her arms he glanced in every direction. Thinking she would reappear beside him or quite possibly behind him.

Little drips of blood splashed his face. In shock, he gazed up at the bleeding girl. She was the real one!

Sakura used all her weight and plunged the kunai deep into his arm. She was hoping to aim for his heart but he had fast reflexes. His other hand came up to blast her with one of his sonic booms. It was a childish and desperate move… but she didn't want to die.

Teeth chomped down into his forearm, immobilizing the movements from that arm as well. Zaku repeatedly punched the top of her head, beating her like a disobeying dog.

"GET OFF!"

Ino watched the entire fight play out in horror. Not once had she seen this side of her old best friend. Long ago she was nothing but a sensitive little cry baby… but now.

"…_Sakura…"_

Ten Years Ago… (Flash-back!)

_Ino had heard rumours about a girl with an enormous forehead. And just like any three year old she was curious as to what all the commotion was about. _

_There in the middle of the paved road, a head of pink hair shuddered from the sobs that wracked her body. An immediate wave of sympathy washed over her. Instead of turning around and leaving the crying girl to herself, Ino walked over confidently. Kneeling down to her level she poked the overly large forehead, surprising the poor girl. _

"_Wow! That __**is**__ really high forehead you got there!" she gave her the best comforting smile she could muster. "My name's Ino Yamanaka. What's yours?" _

_She sniffed a few tears back before answering, debating whether or not she was trust worthy to talk to. "S-Sakura... Sakura Haruno…"_

_Ino cupped the high forehead in her palm. "You have an awfully big forehead. So of course you're gonna get teased! And you hide behind all your hair like a sheepdog, or a shy little ghost." She lightly lifted the bangs from her face, surprised to find a pretty face._

_Sakura\s eyes re-watered from the comment. She was just like the rest of them, always picking on her._

"_Sakura! Meet me back here tomorrow! I wanna give you something, okay?" _

…_next day…_

_Sakura wore the red ribbon with a cute look of wonderment. Ino grinned at the sight "See? You look really cute!"_

"_yeah… but… what about my forehead?" she was still self-conscious._

"_The only reason they tease you about it is because you give in to their teasing's! You let them get to you! Don't give into their games! Show off that pretty face!"_

_Sakura was speechless; Ino was so much stronger and wiser than her. She respected her…_

Present Time

Sakura never let up on the biting, even once his punches started making her dizzy and bleed. She withstood them, her resolve to protect her teammates never dying.

Ino's own breathing became shorter. She couldn't look away from the heart wrenching scene. She protected Sakura like an older sister… would she really leave her past best friend to die at the hands of these people?

Flash back

"_Hey everyone! There's a boy who I think is really cute! Can you guess who?!" Sakura ran towards the group of girls excitedly. _

"_Let me guess… Sasuke?" one of the girls scoffed. _

_Her green orbs widened in surprise. "How… How did know?"_

_In the background Ino tensed._

"_Well duh! Every girl like's Sasuke!... except that weirdo Naruko…" _

_Sakura grinned brightly and laughed. "Well it looks like I have a lot of competition than!"_

"_Hey Ino...? Seems like Sakura's become a real ray of sun shine lately hasn't she?"_

_The bleach blond three year old crossed her arms and glared at the ground in front of her. "Him hah!... Sasuke just struts around acting like he's so cool! Who'd like him?" she lied threw her teeth._

End Flash Back

Just to make her friend happy. Ino denied any feelings she had towards the Uchiha, pretending she disliked him in front of Sakura although from the back ground she secretly watched him… it was living an entire lie.

_Hey Ino! Sasuke seems to like girls with long hair! So I'm going to grow mine out!_

It was to make happy a friend happy…

_I heard… you're after Sasuke too… I guess that make us rival's now…_

…She was lying to herself…

"_Me and Sasuke are on the same team! You'll never beat me now Ino._

Their rivals!

Sakura was tossed to the side like a rag doll, her face bruised and bloody from the repeated strikes.

"_I have to protect Naruko… and Sasuke!"_

Zaku trained both of his hands at the defenceless girl. "You little bitch!"

Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji jumped in front of the attacker before he could do anything, protecting the fallen girl.

"I told you Sakura that I wouldn't let you show me up!" her not swollen eye widened in surprise. Ino was the last person she expected to come to her rescue.

Sasuke's fever spiked, his body felt like it was on fire. The ground beneath him disappeared, leaving him a float in a hallucination.

"_**Who are you?!"**_

The black haired kid looked up at him with a tear stained face.

"_**Mother and father needn't have died! I wasn't strong enough to protect anyone!"**_

Sasuke recognized the boy… as himself as a child.__

"_**The entire clan died! Because of you!..."**_

He reached up and dug his fingers into the bottom lid of his left eye, ripping the skin away… to a yellow piercing predator's eye.

"… _**Because… you're nothing but a weakling…!"**_

"Sorry… boy's for dragging you into this…" Ino apologized to her teammates. Shikamaru placed on a forced smirk he had his own reasons for jumping into the battle as well… Choji on the other hand was pulling on yanking on his scarf, begging Shikamaru to let him go. "Please let me go Shikamaru!"

Zaku gave the struggling boy an evil smirk. He just loved to see a chance to torment someone. "We'll let you off the hook if you want to run… fatty."

Choji ceased his struggling's, an air of murderous intent surrounded him. "What… did that guy just call me?... I could've sworn he just said…"

"You're welcome to run away if you can find a hiding place big enough… Fatso!"

"I'M NOT FAT! I'M PLEASANTLY PLUMP!" he snapped. Right now, Choji declared war on the entire sound village. Both of his teammates were happy to have the crazy, fighting spirit that he possessed out at the moment… at least that gave them a small advantage.

"Ino-Shika-Cho! Boar, Deer, Butterfly formation!"

_**Expansion Jutsu!**_

Shoji's body inflated into an even bigger ball, his arms, legs and head tucked into himself. He started a fast rotation, and sped towards the cocky spikey haired sound ninja.

Zaku shook his head in disbelief. He raised both palms up towards him, and blasted him with a giant burst of charka. The out of control ball stopped in place and jumped into the air, surprising him.

Dozu attempted to rush in and help his teammates, but found his body unresponsive to his commands. The boy with the high spiky-ponytail smirked at him. Both their shadows connected at the ground in front of him.

_**Shadow Possession Jutsu!**_

"Ino! The girl is the only one left!"

The female sound ninja glanced around the area dazed and confused by the sudden strange events.

Ino gave them all a devilish grin "Okay Shikamaru take care of my body when I'm gone!"

_**Mind Transfer Jutsu **_

Kin's eyes became glazed over, her facial expression one of emptiness. Ino slumped on the ground beside Shikamaru, falling asleep.

Choji had finally stopped spinning, his eyes circling around in his skull.

The black haired Kunoichi's head snapped up a determined look misplacing her usual stoic features. "One move and I'll slit your little teammate's neck here!" to prove her point she raised a kunai knives blade to her own jugular.

Both sound ninja gave her sickeningly evil smirk. Zaku raised his hand in her direction and pumped a wave of chakra at her, the force sent the possessed body flying into the trunk of tree behind her.

Shikamaru's shadow retracted back towards himself. "Damnit!" His time limit had reached its end.

There was no way they were going to win now… their original plan was to use the female of the group to stop the other two. But they were only too heartless to care, immediately sending her flailing threw the air, and with that attack they had figured out Ino's vulnerability.

"I hate being underestimated by little-!"

"-Weak amateurs!"

Ino, Shikamaru and Choji were all surprised to find last year's rookie of the year perched atop a tree, his pupil less glare sparing no one below.

"That kid with the bowl haired cut belongs to us… You hurt him, so now you answer to us!" The veins that surrounded his eyes popped, giving a disturbing look to his already intimidating appearance. Ten-Ten crouched next to him with a passive expression.

"Quit while you still have the chance" His eyes added more aggression to his glare, making it a lethal weapon. With his eyes fixated on the people below he could see a growing flow of chakra coming from a single person this particular one seemed different than the rest… whipping and swirling with the sinister looking colors purple and black.

But Dozu's eyes crinkled in what looked to be a grin. "Why don't you make us?!"

To both of their relief and surprise, Neji's eyes returned to normal. "Looks like we won't have to…."

They all turned to look at the sight he found so amusing and found a rising Uchiha. His face hidden beneath a short curtain of black hair, undistinguishable black marks crawled up and down the left half of his body.

"…Sakura…" She flinched at the mention of her name, eyes wide.

"…Who did this to you…"

**AN: Sorry for the late update! Writers block… ya know? ANYWAY! Have FUN readin! ^U^**


	40. Power That Is Given

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!

Power That Is Given

"_I told you not to bother with that girl!" _

_Naruko watched as father and child walked away hand in hand, her own feeling unbearably cold. A familiar feeling of loneliness filled her. It wasn't new at all, kids begging their parents to let go of their hands… they were lucky. She would never experience those kinds of small gestures and the thought of it made her sad._

_Turning to leave she froze as a hand entwined their fingers with hers. The warmth brought a new feeling of contentment inside of her. Instead of pulling free and slapping the intruder, she accepted the proffered hand. Curiously, she turned to look back at the person hesitantly scared of what she just might see. _

_His face was hidden in the setting suns dark shadows, his silhouette somehow shifting every second. Although the person was a mystery all she cared about was the thing that connected them. "…My Hands…smaller..."_

_His grip on her tightened though she didn't notice at first, too fixated on the foreign warmth and peacefulness the hand brought._

_It wasn't until it started to throb did she notice the unnecessary amount of strength put into the grip. Groaning, her head rose to give him a questioning expression but found him bent over withering in pain. She allowed his abusive hold, squeezing back in a fain attempt to comfort, he didn't respond. _

_Her hand begun to swell from the pain, suddenly… both warmth and person disappeared. Her eyes flicked over the dark horizon, searching, but found nothing. She caught a stray tear and wiped furiously at her eyes. _

…_..It wasn't fair….. _

"…Sakura… who did this to you…" The Uchiha gave every single person around him a killer's glare.

A cocky black haired shinobi stepped forward, grinning viciously "We did!" he armed both palm weapons at them, not giving them time to register an oncoming attack, pulling his chakra back for a powerful killing burst.

"Bye-bye!"

_**Super Sonic Air-Slice!**_

The forest area was engulfed in an explosion of dust, splintered trees, and fallen leaves. But once all smoke and debris had cleared they were all surprised to find no bodies, not even pieces of flesh, absolutely nothing in sight.

"Where'd they-?!"

Zaku was sent flying by a mighty blow to the side. The Uchiha stood in his spot expressionless, both of his teammates behind him untouched by the destruction of force that he just displayed. "Looking for me?"

_**Fire Style Phoenix Fire Jutsu!**_

Small spinning bursts of flames were blown in his direction. His overly confident opponent raised his hands to out the tiny fires, but he did not anticipate shuriken cleverly hidden beneath the flames. Zaku switched his offensive stance to defence. A silent scream crawled up his throat as he withstood the weapons once they ripped across his skin.

Suddenly his arms were yanked from shielding his face to a painful weird angle behind his back. The bone crushing vice grip belonged to the newly feared Uchiha.

"… Seems to me your very fond of these arms of yours…"

The foot on his back roughly shoved Zaku to his knees, he was now at the complete mercy of the Uchiha. To stunned to speak, he chanced a glanced back at him a sadistic smirk played at the corners of his lips. "No-!" With two sickening snaps Zaku slumped forward on the ground screaming in pain.

Sasuke's chest shook with a breathy chuckle. Unsatisfied, his Sharingan turned on his next opponent. Dosu flinched out of freight. "And then there was one."

Sakura's eyes brimmed with tears, whoever this person was she was sure he wasn't Sasuke.

Naruko's hand searched for the lost warmth, her upper body lifted off the ground into a sitting position. Half lidded eyes were shadowed by the untied blond hair in her face.

No one took notice of the girl until she was fully standing, hunching, but standing never-the-less. Suddenly Naruko began to walk forward.

Sakura watched as the blond shuffled past her, too baffled to stop her.

The Uchiha's eyes widened at the sight of the girl making her way towards him. Only one thought crossing his mind. _"… What does this idiot think she's doing…?!"_

"Naruko! Get away from there!" Shikamaru was the only one to speak up, concerned for the wellbeing of his blond friend.

The fully turned Uchiha gave the girl a questioning look before she slumped forward into him, catching him off guard. Her hand intertwined with his.

He was at a loss for words, being put in a situation like this was confusing.

"… Where'd… you go..?" Naruko muttered tiredly into the crook of his neck.

Sasuke expression filled with realization. Holding her in a one armed hug they flopped to the ground together, exhaustedly. Naruko breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed further into him.

"You're pretty tough! Obviously… In your current state, we have no chance of winning against you, Sasuke" Dosu placed his team's scroll a few feet away from where they sat. "Please accept this as a gift of admiration… and as compensation for our lives." He was answered with a glare and a turn of the Uchiha's head. Accepting this as confirmation Dosu picked up both teammates and disappeared, hoping to make space between them as quickly as possible.

Once their real enemies were out of sight Sasuke hugged the girl in his arm closer. Sakura watched the tender display sadly, sad because even at a joyous moment she still found jealousy at the sight of the both of them. Ino not to far away must have been thinking the same thing, a look of sympathy was shared between them while she tended to Lee.

A loud snored interrupted the peaceful quietness. Sasuke pulled the blond away from him and examined her closely to find her sleeping with half lidded eyes. _"WAS SHE SLEEPING THIS WHOLE TIME?!"_ She answered his unspoken question with another snore, this time in his face.

Expressionless, he let the tittering blond fall backwards, getting up and dusting himself off he made no attempt to pick up the infuriating girl. "Idiot… even when she's asleep!" he tried to mutter quietly to himself but everyone had clearly heard him.

Both girls grinned at the other… than glared, and finally sneered.

Neji glared down at the group of fools not believing this group had actually withstood an opponent with all their idiocy… especially the Uchiha. _"… never thought their clan held such power"_

Shikamaru gently slapped Naruko's face, trying to wake her. Choji stood by with a blunt stick just in case. Her eyes fluttered open slowly, still sleepily taking in her surroundings before contently falling back to sleep. Well it was unavoidable. Motioning Choji over Shikamaru moved out of the way to give him room.

But before the husky boy could wake her, she shot up straight into a sitting position, eyes wild. "Everyone watch out! That freak with the long hair could be anywhere!" Taking extra precaution Naruko went into a crawl on her stomach; not noticing the dejected Choji or smirking Nara. Everyone's eyes were all on her now as she continued to make a fool out of herself.

"HEY SAKURA!" Finally looking up Naruko noted her teammate sitting quietly getting her hair cut into a short bob. By Ino of all people, something was going on around here. "Your hair…"

The newly bobbed girl grinned sheepishly "Oh! Well… I needed a new look sooo…."

"Yeah but… why is everyone here all of the sudden?" she asked cutely, her hair down had such an effect on her look, Sakura felt like pinching her.

"These guys… saved our butts…"

"These guys…?" everyone minus Ten-Ten, Neji, and Sasuke, all looked worn to the born. Lee especially looked as if someone had chewed him up and spit him out. "Um… how long was I asleep?"

Sasuke stood off to the side still in a state of disbelief for two reasons. One, Naruko sleep walks. And Two, he had beaten an opponent that Lee himself couldn't defeat. He must have gotten more powerful because of the mark that freak Orochimaru had placed on him… It was almost scary.

"What? Only 97 minutes?!" Anko looked at the screen in horror. "Yes ma'am only 97 minutes into the second exam and already a candidate has succeeded, beating our previous record by over four hours!"

Anko gave the screen a stern look. "Gaara of the sand….. Not possible!"


	41. Last Chance!

Disclaimer: I still own none of it! Belong to Masashi Kishimoto!

The Last Chance…!

Lightly tanned feet dipped into the rivers deep water, shivering slightly Naruko stared at the shimmering surface with rapt attention.

"You look as if you've never seen water before"

She groaned at the familiar voice, for the past day and a half… 2 hours and 35 minutes, Sasuke had been more bossy than usual.

Don't go there, don't steal my food… don't touch that mushroom, DON'T GO TO THE BATHROOM WITHOUT MY SAY SO!... his superior attitude was getting annoying and she just didn't feel like dealing with him right now. What with all the dirt caked in her hair after his 'highness' commanded her to go and check up on the traps, not telling her where exactly he had put'em… he was in for a surprise once he sees them.

"And **you** look as if you've never seen a brush before." She retorted. His all too predictable glare made her laugh. Here she was sitting in her mud covered shorts and tank top, and he was only focused on his hair.

"Hey… Sasuke?" in the midst of her laughing Naruko had remembered something that she had forgotten to ask, and with no one around to interrupt, now was the perfect time to ask.

He gave her a blank expression, which she took as a sign to continue.

"When… we were both unconscious… were you… holding my hand?" she was thankful the mud that covered her face also covered the blush.

Not glancing up she couldn't see the wide eyed expression he wore. The slapping his forehead with the palm of his hand a groan escaped him. "Idiot! Don't say weird things." "Yeah but-!" "I don't know! Okay?! Now stop talking about it!" He could swear he was practically glowing red from embarrassment.

"Sooo… having your hand held doesn't matter?" her voice filled with wonder.

Sasuke gave a quick "yes" hoping that would finally put an end to that conversation. To his utter relief Naruko nodded dumbly, at times like these he pitied the little twit.

"I need you to do something."

Naruko groaned loudly letting him know her displeasure, especially after his last request. "What is it?!"

"Jump inside the water and try to get the fish to jump out"

"What's in it for me?" this time she wasn't going to do something without thinking first, she wanted compensation for all the idiotic things he made her do.

"What's in it for you?! How about a belly full of food?!" he was slightly irritated that she would even ask for anything in return, IT WAS FOR THEIR SURVIVAL! But the hard defiance in her eyes were set, looks like she wouldn't move without first getting something in return.

"How about ramen after all this is done?" he wanted to strangle her for making him stress so much. "Three bowls!" she singled three fingers at him. To which he swatted away irritably "FINE!"

"OKAY! WATCH ME WORK!" Quickly getting to her feet Naruko pulled a big goofy grin.

_**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**_

A while later

Naruko sat wearing an extra outfit Sakura had brought along while her own clothes dried on a nearby branch.

So far all she was told (by Naruko) Sasuke had told her to catch some fish, she refused, and that's when he had kicked her in the water… she didn't believe it, but she also didn't want to burst Naruko's happy content bubble.

Either way she didn't mind sharing, in fact, she brought the clothes along because she knew something like this would probably happen. She had to admit the way her outfit seemed too large on her was adorable. Sakura had never noticed before but the gaudy orange jumpsuit Naruko always wore seemed to make her look much taller than she really was and only a tad bit more intimidating.

To say she was cute would've been an understatement; this petite blond headed girl munching on two large charred fish was down right and illegally adorable.

"Second exam started four days ago… at 2:30 pm… we have only 26 hours left…." Sasuke glared at the fire.

Sakura could tell he was on edge; they were all on edge… minus the happily humming Naruko. "A lot of teams must have already finished by now… which means..."

"Yummy! Yummy! In my tummy!" Naruko lay down on her back looking full and content, a big goofy grin plastered on her whiskered face. Both Sasuke and Sakura chose to ignore their twit of a teammate.

"…_People will be getting desperate…"_

"What if there aren't many heaven scrolls to our earth scroll?" Sakura expressed worries. Sasuke abruptly stood "I'm gonna go gets some more water" than headed into the direction of the forest.

Puzzled, Naruko pointed at the stream of water they set camp near. "HEY! SASUKE YOU DIMWIT! THERE'S WATER RIGHT THERE!" the oblivious blond bellowed loudly.

When his Uchiha fan symbol was completely out of sight, and she knew he couldn't them Naruko dug into her rucksack.

Curious, Sakura watched her as she frantically searched her bag.

"Here, Sakura! We can use this!" Her green eye's widened in slight surprise at the scroll she held in her right hand… this girl wasn't serious… was she?

"We can **make** our own heaven scroll!" Sakura had to face palm, for a second there she actually believed that Naruko had a good idea. "That would be a… interesting idea. But we don't even know what the inside of the heaven scroll looks like. So it would be a complete waste of time to even attempt to copy it!"

The blond bit her bottom lip nervously; her teammate could already tell she had a plan. But by the way Naruko refuse to look her in the eye, she could tell she wasn't gonna like the idea.

"We do have… the earth scroll…!"

"NARUKO! TELL ME YOU'RE NOT THINKING WHAT I THINK YOUR THINKING!" Sakura was now on her feet pointing an accusing finger at the dumb folded blond. "YOU IDIOT! HAVE FORGOTTEN THE RULES?!"

Suddenly Naruko did something Sakura would have never expected her to do. Her bottom lip stuck out in a pout, whiskered cheeks flushed a light pink, blue eyes widened and sparkled with crystal tears a gleam of hurt in them… Sakura could feel her moral resolve breaking, from a mere look! Where did she learn this?!

Sakura exhaled a heavy sigh as she leaned over the smaller girl. They both stared down at the scroll Naruko held in her shaking hands. How she got her to yes was above her, whatever she did it worked.

Nervously, Naruko peeled away the scroll very little hesitation in her movements. It was nerve-wracking waiting for her, Sakura could feel her thumping heartbeat in the tips of her fingers, but made no move to stop the little blond.

_**Peeel-!**_

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

When the tip of her thumb had dipped on the inside of the scroll a gloved hand wrapped around her smaller tanned hands easily stopping her movements. A silent scream spilled from Sakura's lips at the sudden appearance of this newcomer.

"K-Kabuto!"

Sasuke raced back to their campsite, the scream had pulled him from his confusing thoughts. _"That's Sakura's scream!"_

Once he got there an angry vein popped above his brow. There, caught red handed, Naruko about to open the forbidden scroll they **weren't** suppose to open. And the white haired ninja from the exam Kabuto holding her hands in a vice grip. He glared at the embarrassed blush that engulfed her whiskered face. Dark blue eyes widened in shock at the sight of the black haired boy as he stomped his way over towards them.

"_I'm in trouble!"_

"You hopeless ditz! I can't turn my back on you without you doing something stupid!"

Naruko opened her mouth to protest but found her swollen cheeks to sore to talk. After he had painfully pinched her whiskered cheeks four angry red marks flamed on both sides of her face.

"I found a group of genin not far from here, two out of the three that had looked at their scroll were knocked unconscious" Kabuto wiped a none-exsistent sweat from her brow.

Sasuke's dark eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Where's your team?"

"I lost them" The white haired sound genin gave him a knowing smirk "I'm not going to steal your scroll… if that's what your thinking. If I wanted it I would have already taken it while she was distracted…" Said blond gave an enthusiastic nod. Sasuke glared at her, she stuck her tongue out in defiance.

"Besides… I've already got both scrolls!" The Uchiha's black eyes widened in surprise. _"what?!"_

"Well… see you guys around… Naruko, be more careful next time." He affectionately ruffled her blond mess of hair. His action had her blushing furiously from embarrassment. Kabuto turned around to leave.

"Stop!" Sasuke called out "Fight me!"

Both of his female teammates gave him a shocked expression. "SASUKE! ARE YOU INSANE!? HE** JUST** HELPED US OUT!"

Ignoring his urge to hit her, Sasuke continued to glare at Kabuto. "We need that scroll, you both know that… challenging him is the only way to pass the test!" a determined gleam shined in his eyes.

Kabuto smirked at the formal challenge. "You're such an attention seeker… your more interested in making yourself look stronger rather than actually passing this exam." A feral growl rumbled within the Uchiha's chest. "You put me on guard and assured yourself a fair fight… if you were truly committed to passing… you would've blindsided me and taken the scrolls like a 'real' ninja." Although his words were meant to insult him, Sasuke found truth in his words. He only sought ways to seem much more stronger to himself... and maybe others.

He refocused his glare on the white haired shinobi. "Where's your teammates?"

Kabuto gave them a nervous smile "heh-heh well… I kind of lost them… but we all agreed to rendezvous near the tower, in case one of us gets separated from the group…"

Naruko's face broke out into a wide goofy grin, unpredictably she threw herself to cling to Kabuto's arm. "CAN WE KEEP HIM?!"

An exchange of blank looks was shared before Sakura opened her mouth to reply with a "no".

The Uzumaki's bottom lip popped out in a pitiful pout, eyes, big sparkly blue orb's brimming with tears.

Sasuke and Sakura's resolve melted into a puddle of submission.

**AN: WHOA! Sorry for not updating sooner guys! Just been really busy with training up for being in the army! T_T My mom cut out junk food! Boo! :P but I'm happy I got dis chapter done XD~ well hopefully I'll get more done! Wish me luck ^W^**


	42. Christmas Oneshot!

Naruko one shot: A Thing Called Christmas!

Konoha's knuckle head ninja strolled the streets... searching, for what? She would not tell.

"dum-dee-dum-dum-dum... hmmm… where **is** it!?" she contemplated thoughtfully. Onlookers around her were easily ignored. "OH!" she raced towards the nearest apothecary.

All day Sakura trailed behind quietly, Naruko's disinterest in her offer to pay for ramen was incredibly unusual and completely out of character for her… but the little blond had rushed away from her as if she carried an incurable cold. After that little fiasco the pick headed female was left confused and frustrated.

"_She's buying something! Ugh! I can't see!"_ a larger pink clothed woman that stood behind Naruko blocked her as she bought an item from the store owner. The grin she wore was insanely excited… strange. Sakura continued to follow.

Almost immediately she recognized the street they walked… Her blond friend was headed towards the flower shop she had come to love... mostly for their wide variety of flower's, nothing else. Naruko chatted happily with Sakura's love rival… Ino… feeling both betrayed and angry Sakura resisted the urge to walk towards the chatting two and simply punch the little blond on the head. Instead, she settled to find her other teammate Sasuke, hopefully he was in a better mood today... not likely.

Sasuke walked past the shop's with little interest. Their loud voice's shouting discount's at already low prices grated his ears… all he wanted to do was go to the training field and beat some pole's til they broke. His bad day had not started instantaneously. He was in quite the good mood before that little dobe of a blond talked to him. For some reason she had read a book (weird O.O…) about a foreign land, and they had a sort of festival where they shared gifts and worshipped a giant fat man named Santa Clause! Why? No idea. But Naruko seemed so enrapt by this celebratory festival that she suddenly started probing the Uchiha with never ending questions.

What's your favorite color?… Have you ever had a pet?... what sort of things do girls like Sakura like? How was **he**, a boy!, supposed to know what girls liked. Sometimes he doubted she even thought of him as a male… Oh well, as long as he was away from her right now than he was fine.

The training ground was in sight… his home-free.

But a peculiar sight had him fully turned, mouth gaped opened, eye's as wide as saucer's… he could not believe what he was seeing. There, the blond that irritated to no end, was giving a small colorful looking box to Shikamaru… whose face seemed abnormally pink compared to his usually pale/tanned complexion. And that idiot! Keeps smiling! What is she so happy about?! His mind was overcome with a single thought… HIT THE DOBE!

~an half an hour later~

Naruko ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Her attacker had finally stopped chasing her and was now nowhere in sight. She hadn't gotten a good look at whom or **what** jumped her, but all she could remember was being pulled out of sight from a bewildered Shikamaru... than being hit on top of the head! It felt like a girl hit, so instead of fighting back like she normally would, she ran… she never liked hitting girls.

But now here she was on the outskirts of the village, tired, exhausted… confused!

Sasuke had lost sight of her, contrary to her size Naruko was a rather fast little idiot, when in danger.

Which would've been good… if he didn't so badly want to hit her so much right now. _"Where'd did that little ditz escape to?!"_ he had no idea why he had the sudden urge to beat on the girl… just seeing her give presents away was very irritating.

Giving up, Sasuke settled on the thought of just returning back to the training grounds to get some practice in. His female teammates were both irritating and… he really didn't feel like running into Sakura at the moment.

Meanwhile Sakura had spotted the Uchiha heading towards the training grounds. He wore a sour expression; she wondered if she should even bug him… he looked a little frazzled.

She turned to leave when someone called her "Hey, Haruno..." Shikamaru stood holding a brown package, blushing?! "Where's Naruko?" that was odd… sure they were friends but not once has she seen them date before.

"Huh?! Are you and Naruko…?!" she left the question unanswered. He looked flustered, a deep heavy blush splashed across his face. "…troublesome…. Never mind I'll find her myself!" He stomped awkwardly away from her. Now Sakura had to find out what was going on! Early today Nara was nothing like that!

Naruko searched and searched for her teammates but found no one. After the incident with Shikamaru… (Shudder) she's been a little more on edge than ever before.

She looked to check up on Sakura's mother, asking if she had seen the pinkette her mother had told her she went to look for Sasuke... or course. And just where would Sasuke be on a beautiful day like today? …Training grounds…

Once she got there she noticed Kiba, Hinata, Shino, Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji, even Neji, Ten-Ten, and Lee were all there! How everyone got here was beyond her, but they all held bag's full of things… minus Neji who only held two packages.

Sakura was smiling ear to ear… but Sasuke was nowhere in sight. Was he still on the training field?

"Merry Christmas Naruko!" Ino jumped the unsuspecting Uzumaki and presented her with a free ramen noodle ticket, only good until two days from now. Naruko jumped up and down excitedly. "HOW DID YOU KNOW?! HOW DID YOU KNOW?!" tears of happiness sprung at the edges of her eyes.

"heh-heh lucky guess~!" and one by one people gave each other gifts. Last minute bought gifts, but thoughts of each other put into each of them.

Now it was Neji's turn to give something to Naruko. His tall quiet demeanor slightly intimidated her, but she easily ignored it and smiled up at him. "Neji! Merry Christ!" he cut her off with two gifts in her face. "One's for you the other is for Hinata… well take them!" he was just going to turn to leave when Naruko caught him by the short sleeve of his shirt. A mischievous grin stretched ear to ear before she withdrew a green leaf, a red berry pressed up against it.

The quick peck on the cheek had Neji blushing like an idiot. Although no one saw what happened Neji's newly formed blush could've put Hinata's to shame. His expression, to Naruko was priceless, not once had she ever seen that facial expression on the usually stoic Hyuga… she wondered how the Uchiha would look like if she did that... _"haha! That'd be really funny to see!"_

Happy, Naruko handed the present to Hinata, saying it was from Neji right away… he wasn't going to get away without being praised.

Her eye's widened a bit as a light happy blush shaded her cheeks, "Neji!? He gave me this one?" she sounded almost surprised. Naruko nodded, smiling cutely.

Everyone laughed and had fun, sharing presents, opening presents… no one could say Naruko wasn't diverse. And this Christmas thing was actually fun! All they needed was snow!

The day was over and done with; it was one of the happiest days of her life! But… her whole team wasn't there… for some reason that made her sad. It was all stupid Sasuke's fault! The jerk simply couldn't set aside his attitude and have fun with everyone. Even Neji participated in all the fun, even if he didn't talk to anyone! He was there… and Sasuke? He's just a big jerk. She felt like not talking to the Uchiha for the rest of the week.

Even if he was standing in front of her apartment, sweaty, and exhau- Wait what?!

Her eyes weren't seeing things! There, in the dimly lit street, in front of her apartment building… Sasuke awkwardly stood holding a book clutched in his right hand.

She was still upset with him but approached with caution. Silence was all that passed between them before Naruko spoke. "So… haven't seen you all day." She tried to create an air of unease but Sasuke brushed it off.

"…here…" he handed her the book. She took it, forgetting why she was mad in the first place. "A cook book?" "old man Ichiraku made this… maybe if you search you could find his secret recipe to his ramen… if not, than there are still a lot of good recipes in there" he finished with a shrug. He seemed eager… almost slightly nervous…

Naruko was speechless, everyone, and she does mean everyone. All had given her free Ichiraku ramen tickets and she was going to put them to use! But this was practical and well thought out… she never really cooked before so this could help her!

"Thank you Sasuke…" she gave him a big goofy grin before reaching behind her.

The Uchiha sighed in relief; for a second he thought that surprised look was bad… it was just like Naruko to be nice.

"Here!" she held out a box of (what he thought) chocolates.

"Umm… I don't really like sweets." She looked at the box in her small tanned hand with a questioning look. "It's not sweets… its laxatives! I went to ask Shikamaru earlier today what you needed to put you in a better mood and he said you desperately needed laxatives! You know! Cause your always constipated!" taking his shocked expression as a speechless happiness like her's, Naruko gently placed the box within the palm of his hand.

Sasuke looked down at the offending box with distain. He lifted his head to yell at the little idiot when he felt a pair of soft lips on the side of his cheek. Without any warning or indication Naruko had willingly kissed the Uchiha… no gagging, no coughing, and most of all no slapping… but she was laughing!

"(gasp!) You should see the look on your face! Same as Neji's! KIBA'S (GASPS!) and Shikamaru's! HAHAHA!"

And that was it. His moment was ruined….

"YOU IDIOT!"

**AN: Yeah… this is NOT! Part of the story! I just wanted to put in a Christmas themed oneshot in here! I'm not really sure if Naruto celebrates Christmas O3O sooo…. Correct me if I'm wrong! Next season I'll tackle more characters! But right now~ Its the holiday's! Happy Holiday's Everyone! ^W^**


	43. One shot: Naruko's apology!

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns everything!

One shot

Naruko's apology!

Haruno (in her head, Mrs. Future-Uchiha!) sat up in her room thinking…

Sakura was still slightly miffed about what had happened a few days earlier… she knew she had no say in what Naruko did in her spare time, but INO!? Naruko had to at least know her and Ino weren't **friends**! …here she was again, getting mad for no reason at all… suppose she was…jealous…?

And why shouldn't she be?! She thought her and Naruko were friends! Sakura would even go as far to call her a little sister! (not in front of the blond mind you…) And Naruko also being friends with Ino felt like complete betrayal to their friendship.

She was being selfish… and needed to go for a walk.

…

It was just another day, training, eating, and casually talking with Hinata. Sakura was nowhere today… she had to wonder, was Sakura purposely avoiding her?

"Hey…Hinata? "

The shy Hyuga turned to her, a slight smile gracing her soft features. "Ye-yes Naruko?"

"Does… Sakura hate me? She's been avoiding me for a while now… so…?" The usually confident Uzumaki girl dared not look at her, scared that Hinata just might give her that 'pitiful expression' she usually gives her, especially when she thinks she's not looking. But Naruko was surprised to hear the sound of cheerful giggling coming from the dark haired girl.

"Oh N-naruko! Sakura doesn't h-hate you!"

The blond covered her face in embarrassment. "Then why does she keep avoiding me?" Hinata bit her lower lip in thought, seeing Naruko depressed was something nobody knew how to deal with. "Sakura w-would never ignore y-you for no r-reason… she would pro-probably scream the reason an-and then hit you for not se-seeing sooner!" She seemed happy when she figured it out, but Naruko grew pale at the suddenly realization.

"Uh… I have to find Sakura and apologize for whatever I did! See you Hinata!" the frantic girl was in a mad sprint in any random direction. Hoping and praying that she'll find her teammate. Hinata blink away the specks of dust and smiled. "O-okay! Se-see you Naruko!"

…

"_Maybe… I am just being selfish… I never told Naruko she wasn't allowed to hang with Ino… and besides it's unfair to her, I mean, what if Naruko actually likes hanging out with Ino? I gotta find Naruko and apologize for ignoring her!"_ Sakura walked faster to find her little teammate, going to the one place she knew the blond would be.

…

The blond had searched high and low for her teammate. But found nothing.

Now she was in an abandoned part of the village, wandering aimlessly. She never got lost in the village before… but today her sense of direction was off.

"Ah… Hello?! Anyone here?!" There was no answer.

Just when she was about to call off the search, Naruko heard lone footsteps. As far as she could tell they were ninja footwear, they sounded much heavier than civilian sandals. And the way this person walked, it was like he was stuck in some kind of trance, he or she walked like they were being mind-controlled. Although she had something to do right now, Naruko decided to follow whoever this was just in case they were an enemy spy.

Following the sound of the steps as quietly as she could, she was led into… what looked like a compound. _"Looks like it wasn't abandoned that long…"_ Suddenly, the dark figure stopped and turned to look in her direction, as if it heard her thoughts. Before she was caught Naruko quickly dived for the nearest hiding spot. It was a short time before the footsteps continued. Sighing in relief, she continued to follow after the unknown person.

The sun was setting, making it harder for her to tell who this person was… But the hair was kind of a dead giveaway.

"SASUKE!?"

Said boy turned to give his teammate a cold glare.

"What are you doing here man?! I thought you were an enemy or something!"

He still didn't answer her, only give her his cold glare. She walked closer to make sure he heard her better… that's when she seen the single flower he held in his right hand. "Sasuke…. Are you meeting someone here?" if it was any possible his glare had hardened even more. "Idiot… go away." Now she was curious. He had never shown any interest in any of the girls in the village before, she had to see who this mysterious person was. "No! I'm gonna stay and see who she is!"

"Hn… idiot stop assuming things… I'm here for a different reason, nothing as superficial as that…"

"Then what's the flower for?"

"None of your business…" he turned away from her.

"Come on! You can't just make me curious and not tell me! What's the flower for?!" she was standing directly in front of him arms crossed, Uzumaki face pulled in a rare glare.

He snapped his head at her, face red, mouth clenched in tight line. "Idiot! Just where do you think you are?!" That's when it hit her, she didn't bother to look around. She turned to the building she was hiding in and gasped. The paint was faded, the building was trying to collapse in itself. But there it was plain as day… the Uchiha fan symbol. Signifying to all the location of the old village police corp. "I'm….. th-this is-" "Uchiha compound" he finished for her.

Sasuke was about to turn and leave when he noticed her shoulders shake. Small sobs escaped her, why was she crying?!

She turned to him, eye's red, biting her lip, a look of complete guilt. "oh… Sasuke… I didn't-" "it's alright…" he didn't know what to do, he had never seen Naruko cry before. He wanted to run, but at the same time he wanted to stay.

While Naruko herself had no idea what compelled her to start to cry. First she felt bad about even coming here, than assuming the wrong thing, and then thinking about how he felt… for him coming here must take a lot of strength.

"So… you're… giving a flower to all the people who… died?" she seemed hesitant to ask. "Isn't it obvious?" he scoffed, he regretted the tone of his voice that made her flinch.

"So… why are you here?" he tried to get off topic. "… well…! Oh Crap! I forgot about Sakura!" He sighed in relief, her eyes were no longer sad and she had forgot about the sad topic. "Crap! Crap! Crap! CRAP! Man… She's gonna really hurt me…" Even though he had no idea what she was even talking about he nodded his head, just hoping she would leave already. Her eyes went as wide as saucer's the moment they landed on Sasuke. He felt a little uncomfortable from the stare but stood his ground.

…

"S-sasuke!?"

Sakura blushed in his presence. The boy that stood in front of her tried to suppress the glare that wanted to surface. "Hey… Naruko says she's sorry… so don't hurt her." "huh? Sorry for what?" She had a good feeling what for but she still wanted to hear him say it.

He looked really annoyed with her, although he was annoyed with Naruko. She just had him go and embarrass himself for no reason!

"Naruko thinks you hate her… because you keep avoiding her… I don't really know anything as far as that. So just accept her apology so I don't have to be here anymore!" He had no idea how the little idiot got him to do this in the first place. Last thing he remembers is that he was saying no like always… and then she frowned and he was here.

"Uh, okay!" she squeeked. Sakura watched as he turned and walked away, furiously. Right now she was both upset and sad. Upset because Naruko had made Sasuke look at her in a bad light. And sad… because she had no idea Naruko was this scared of her, to actually use Sasuke to deliver her apology, she felt even worse.

…

Naruko looked around the corner where the two were talking. She didn't mean for Sakura to be intimidated by Sasuke, she'll have to get him back for making her scared. But after he had apologized to her… she still felt guilty. Naruko should have followed her gut and apologized herself.

"_Damnit…. I still have to go out there and apologize… BUT I WILL DO IT!"_

…

Sakura was just about to continue her search for Naruko. The moment she turned around she was met with downcast blue eyes, and a timid postured Uzumaki girl.

"H-Hey Sakura!… I… HI!" Sakura's fist clenched and unclenched. Naruko didn't know if she was going to hit her or not but she prepared for the worst anyway.

Just when she lifted both hands, Naruko shut her eyes closed. Waiting for her impending beating to come… nothing did. She felt both of her hands squeeze her shoulders. Reopening her eyes, Naruko immediately noticed the soft smile that graced her lightened features.

"…I'm sorry Naruko…" Her mind was spinning. Why was Sakura apologizing to her?

"Ah… I'm sorry to Sakura." She tried to also say sorry but was brushed off. "Don't worry about it okay? I was the one being an idiot this time… okay?" the blond grinned brightly. "Okay!"

Sakura thought it was better this way. Naruko was a little slow to get things. But when she thought things were her fault, she would go to great lengths to apologize… even if she didn't know what she did in the first place. She didn't need to know why she was mad at her. She just wanted her to keep being Naruko, besides... this fidgety side of her was a little disturbing.

…

"I'm hungry! Can you buy me ramen?!"

"…don't push it Naruko…"

"Come on! It will be apology ramen! I want apology ramen!"

Sasuke watched his two teammates as they made up. He couldn't help the smile that tugged at the sides of his lips. No matter how much he glared and said to himself he found them both annoying… he just couldn't think of himself on any other team than this one.

**AN: Okay done! Sorry this one took soo long I was just… busy ^^ haha anyway! Thank you for reading! Review if you like…. I like reviews. But I love readers!**


	44. Tha path you should Tread!

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!

The Path You Should Tread...!

Sasuke, Sakura, and Kabuto had thought up a plan. First step would be to safely get to the tower… if the other examinees were smart, they would all head there as well.

Second would be to pick off the weakest team that crossed their path. Naruko didn't seem to like this idea at all … sure that was very ninja-like but she wasn't the type to backstab someone when they were so close to their own victory. But no one paid her moral values any attention…

The sun had set not too long ago, and the tower was just in view. All stopped, thinking it smart to go the rest of the way on foot.

"Okay everyone; this is where things get a hell of a lot worse!" Kabuto warned.

Naruko walked behind the group, wary of the surroundings. Suddenly a movement in the bushes was caught in her peripheral line of sight.

"ENEMY! OVER THERE!" She threw a single kunai in the direction of the movement.

A soft thud, followed by splattering, signified a direct hit. Kabuto brushed past her to remove the branches and trees that obscured their view of the enemy.

Naruko let out a huff of annoyance "Aw, man! It was just a centipede!"

"Naruko…the idea was to be quiet and not attract any attention to ourselves, attention brings unwanted guests. Got it?"

Like a guilty child, she nodded, feeling bad about ruining Kabuto's careful plan.

Smiling at her kicked-puppy expression, he flicked the end of her nose with a smirk. "From here on out how about we remain quiet? Sound good?" with a happy blush, she nodded her head excitedly.

Out the corner of his eye Sasuke couldn't keep his glare under control. Sakura simply gushed at the display of affection.

And they walked, unaware of the eyes that watched them.

Their legs burned, hearts raced, breathing coming out in short little huffs of air. Sakura flopped to her knees in defeat, "I'm sorry-(huff!) I'm done…" Naruko kneeled beside her weakly, "I'm tired too… whew!"

She looked up at the tower in shock "Really?! It feels like we've been walking forever! But that stupid tower doesn't look like it's getting any closer!" they also looked up to find she was right.

Kabuto smirked "Hmph… here I thought we were being so careful to… we're caught in a Genjutsu. And seeing as how tired we all are, I'm sure they'll be making their move soon."

Just as he predicted, black bandaged ninja melted out of the bark of the trees. Sasuke and Naruko exchanged challenging looks between one another "there's a lot of them…" the Uchiha smirked. "Not to mention the doppelgangers."

"Heh heh… your trapped like rats!"

The mechanical mocking voice irritated Naruko to no end. "SHUT UP!" she charged at one, getting him in his center of gravity. The blow made him crumple into himself… and explode sideways.

She skidded sideways on her arm, the moment she hit the ground.

Behind her, the clone's hole dripped of a gooey substance. In the middle of that a head bubbled up and formed into a solid upper body… still attached to the original.

Sasuke immediately noticed the Kunai it held within its hand, "NARUKO!" Sharingan activated, all four of his shuriken hit his target with precise aim.

The clones arm splattered to the ground in gooey chunks.

Feeling a bit hazy Naruko turned around in time to see the clone twist in a fast jerking movement, throwing a kunai at the Uchiha.

Almost last minute, he was tackled down to the ground by Kabuto, whose left shoulder burst in a tiny spray of blood.

Sasuke clutched the back of his neck in agony. "Hey! You big jerk! You okay?!" he glared at her from across the battlefield. "I'm fine, you little twit!"

"Does the fact they physically hurt Kabuto mean these guys are solid clones and not just illusions…? But with real solid clones they disappear after getting beat, are these guys a Genjutsu after all?!" she ignored his rude comment.

"That's right, there's no point in fighting them… it'd just be a waste of energy." Sharingan still activated, Sasuke could still see the Genjutsu.

"… They must be in the backgrounds somewhere, close by if they could simulate an actual attack…" Kabuto answered the question they were all thinking.

"So what's the plan?! We just sit back and let them attack us?!" Naruko was finally at her wits end. Sakura had to sympathize with her teammate; she was never very intelligent in a puzzling situation.

"For now all we can do is avoid their attacks to the best of our abilities…"

"Fine then! If you cowards wanna play that game, COME ON!" crossing her fingers over the other Naruko gathered her charka, but was stopped by Kabuto. "Don't waste your chakra! A direct hit can't help us!"

"But if we can make them disappear all at once they won't be able to throw knives from the shadows!"

_**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**_

An army of short blond girls poofed from the smoke, teeth bared. "CHARGE!"

As Naruko ripped through the crowds of gooey clones, she immediately noticed the slight increase in numbers. Pulling back she made the same hand sign. "I can go all night!"

The morning suns ray's shimmered above the treeline.

Naruko fell on her back, grinning tiredly. "heh-heh… I guess… that's all I can handle.."

All four ninja were kneeling, dirt faced, shallow breathes, and droopy eyes. All the clones flew into the dark blue and pink sky.

Their eyes focused on the three white bandaged figures appearing in the lifting black specks.

"Remember me?" his black hair and odd mask looked familiar, but both Sasuke and Naruko said nothing. "You're the one who maimed my shoulder-!" "-I remember you! You attacked me when I was peeing! No good dirty pervert!" with a new fire in her eye, the blond pointed a finger at him.

All three enemies took a single step back at the sudden burst of energy. But Naruko's body refused to support itself anymore. With her first step she was already on the ground breathing heavy, face covered in sweat.

"Naruko… that's enough. You have no more Chakra… let me handle it from here." She could practically **hear** the smirk in his cocky voice.

"H-how did you sneak up behind us?!" the white ninja spun quickly in place, surprised. Sasuke, Sakura, and Kabuto stood directly behind them, each wearing a smirk. They turned to see all but one Uzumaki disappear, grinning.

"With her clones everywhere you didn't even notice us use Genjutsu and sneak up behind you-!" a yellow blur hurdled through the air, knocking one sideways… the others getting knocked over by him.

"No way am I gonna let you guys have all the fun!" Naruko laughed, her knees shaking only slightly.

Her teammates, plus Kabuto, all stood in awe of her stamina… it just wasn't physically possible for any human to be able do to that!

"_The idiot's gonna exhaust herself if she doesn't take a rest!... where this new Naruko come from? When did she get so.. Determined?"_ Sasuke was in complete disbelief. He had never seen this side of his teammate before.

"_Interesting… her chakra reserves is incredible! With the right training she could become a monster…"_ Kabuto himself couldn't tear his eyes away from the Uzumaki girl.

She walked over the three unconscious ninjas and checked them over, making sure to childishly stick her tongue out at the peeping-tom who had caught her going to the bathroom. "Hey! We got a heaven scroll!" Naruko screamed in triumph.

Sasuke fell back tiredly, not caring if the blond had more energy than him. _"My neck… it hurts still… I must've used most of my chakra… damnit!"_ he hadn't noticed Kabuto looking his way.

"What happened to your neck? That's one hell of a monster bruise."

The Uchiha thought over his answer carefully "it's… nothing." He couldn't bring himself to trust him… even though he had helped his team out… there was something about the guy he couldn't ignore.

"Yes! We made it to the door!" Naruko yelled happily, everyone around her catching her infectious smile.

"Hey, Kabuto where've you been? We were looking all over for you." Another leaf ninja wearing a black mouth veil, walked out of the woods. His black circled eyes gave their hyper teammate the chills.

"Oh sorry, I got lost… and then I got into a little trouble." His teammate raised an eyebrow at his vague answer.

"If it weren't for ya we wouldn't have gotten our last scroll!" Naruko's grin stretched from ear to ear. Grinning himself Kabuto patted the top of her head affectionately. "Don't thank me you earned them, you were amazing in the end."

The comment had caught her off guard and made her blush. "Uh… heh heh thanks!"

Once they were in the building Naruko couldn't help but smile. "YEAH! We made it!" Sasuke lifted his arm off from Sakura's shoulders. "I can carry myself now Sakura…" "Oh! Yeah…" _"DAMNIT THAT WAS OVER TOO SOON!"_

"Hey, check it out!" the hyper blond indicated towards the board above them. The words looked as if someone spent days on the correct style.

_If the Qualities of heaven _

_Is your desire,_

_Acquire wisdom and knowledge to take your mind higher,_

_If earthly qualities are what you lack,_

_Train your mind in the fields and prepare to attack,_

_When both heaven and earth are open together, the path of peril will open to the righteous path forever _

_This' 'is the secret way…_

…_that guides us on from this place today._

_-Third Hokage_

Naruko stared with full concentration at the board. "I… Don't… get it…"

"You idiot… it's referring to the scrolls. We probably have to open the scrolls at the same time." Sakura looked down nervously at the two scrolls she the only other female held within their hands.

"Well? What are we waiting for?!"

**AN: HELLO! Sorry everyone! I know I haven't been on for a while… I actually had started this before I went to the military! I'm back but only for a while **** I'm so glad you guys are still reading! I'd like to say thank you!**


	45. Preliminaries!

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! Belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!**

Preliminaries!

The rolled up scrolls in Sakura and Naruko's hands open with little effort. "Human…?" "Mankind..?" they both looked at the corner of their eyes at each other, questioningly.

Sasuke immediately noticed the warp in the papers. "Naruko! Sakura throw them! Quickly!"

A trail of smoke flew threw the air once both scrolls were tossed. The smoke only built up faster near the area they had landed, a black silhouette appearing right in the middle.

"Hey kids, long time no see eh?" all of team 7's jaw hit the ground at the person that stood before them.

Iruka gave them a grin only he could make. "Well this calls for a celebration! I wish I could take you all out for ramen!" He pulled out a watch, quickly checked the time. "Looks like you kids just barely passed-!"

"MASTER IRUKA!" Naruko tackled the Chunin, making him slightly stagger.

Her old master patted her head as she laughed happily in his stomach. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" Iruka couldn't keep the proud look on his face hidden.

The other two flopped to the ground tiredly. "She just keeps going, and going…" Sasuke sighed.

"You haven't slowed down a bit… Eh, Naruko?" said girl turned and gave her old master a sheepish smile.

"Congratulations on passing the second part of the exam!" The third Hokage stood center of the gymnasium.

Although the atmosphere called for serious attitude, Naruko couldn't keep the stupid grin from forming on her face. "Wow! Everyone from the leaf passed!" she whispered excitedly. Sasuke glared at every single person that dared to even glance in their direction. His glared hardened even more (if that was possible) at a particular person.

The red headed boy, Gaara, was staring at the blond as if trying to piece something together. He didn't know exactly why, but he had found his stare offensive, even if it wasn't directed at him.

His teammate must have sensed the staring and turned to look. Curiously, she tilted her head sideways, as if asking him the question that burned in his own mind. Gaara's expression didn't change. Brushing it off, she shrugged and turned towards the front once again.

It was Sasuke's turn to glare holes in the side of her head, why didn't the idiot flip the kid off? there was no doubt in his mind that she found his staring creepy, and she would have most likely glared back at him… but nothing?

Just as he was about to turn towards the front Naruko turned her head to meet his gaze. For a heart pounding moment she just… stared, until she stuck her tongue out at him. The cheeky glint in her eye mocked him. He glared harder at her. Idiot…

Finally things were underway; a sickly shinobi named Gekko Hayate was proctor of the third exam. Some people questioned if this guy was even able to still be a shinobi. The bags under his eyes, his out of control coughing… everyone was certain this dude was going to die soon.

"I am Hayate… proctor of this exam! before we start… are there any people who feel as if they cannot go on for any reason at all? Raise your hand now!"

With a determined glare Naruko remembered the hardship she and her team and taken just to get this far… there was no way she was going to give up now!

"Well… I guess I'm outta here." Sheepishly smiling, Kabuto raised his hand above his head. The blond's determination faltered only slightly. "What the hell Kabuto?!" she didn't care what people thought of her, she wanted to know why Kabuto would give it all up when he was so close to finishing. "I'm sorry Naruko… it just that those guy's in the forest really beat the crap outta me… also ever since I got into a fight with those sound ninja's I'm completely deaf in my left ear." He gave her a guilty look. Understanding his situation, she nodded her head. "…okay than…"

Before walking away he gave all of team 7 a content wave… no one noticing the evil glint in his eye as he walked away.

Sasuke wondered why the white haired shinobi would quit when he was so close. Just as he was piecing things together an unbearable pain shot through the side of his neck. Gasping, he clutched the area firmly hoping to suppress some of the pain.

Sakura's heart jumped in throat at the sight of her teammate's pained expression. "Sasuke… maybe you should quit too!" she whispered, but it was still heard. Both Naruko and the Uchiha gave her shocked expressions.

"That mark on your skin is hurting you isn't it?" he didn't look her in the eyes, she could tell from the trembling in his fingers he was in pain.

Naruko looked back and forth between her teammates… wondering what the hell they were even talking about. _"What mark?!"_

"Please… **(sob)** withdraw…" tears began to build up, "You're in no shape to fight!" she gave him a pleading look.

"… Shut up…!" he still didn't dare to look her in the eyes.

"Sasuke… I know you've barely been able to contain the pain all this time!"

"I **said…-**"

"Fine! You leave me no choice! I'm going to tell the teachers about the mark…!" her hand rose, only to be smacked harshly back down by Sasuke's hand, leaving a stinging pain.

"Keep your mouth shut, not a word about this mark!" he gave her a menacing glare.

Sakura sobbed "I… can't stand to watch you suffer!"

"Then don't watch! Just stay out of it… it's my burden to bear alone." Her green eyes widened in hurt. "Remember what I told you… I'm an avenger… I don't care about becoming a Chunin or not. I'm only here to test myself against the best of the best… nothing more. Not even for your sake, would I give up my goal!"

Naruko finally stepped in, sick of how he was treating poor Sakura. "Idiot! Why are you trying to act so cool?! Sakura's clearly trying to help you! Don't you even care?!"

"Naruko…" he looked at her, not with the same expression he gave Sakura. One that looked deep into her, not through, deep. "…Your one of the one's I wanna fight the most…"

Eyes widened and heart sped. She couldn't keep the creeping blush down, his smirk didn't help either. Every attempt at finding her voice was futile; her mind was nothing but a giant white blank.

"…Okay than." Behind Hayate a giant green board appeared overhead. "… On the board two names will appear, these two will fight until one is proclaimed champion! Everyone get it? Good because I'm not explaining it again! We will start the first the round!"

The board flicked with different names, moving so fast they merged. Naruko waited almost scared that her name would appear on that board. The beeping noises that irritating board made was finally slowing down, and then coming to a-complete stop.

Both Sakura and Ino stared at one another in shock. There was just no way that it was a coincidence.

"Your first two fighters will be… Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino! Would everyone else please clear the area!"

Naruko gave her teammate an encouraging smiling and thumbs up. "You can do it! I know you can!" she looked over at Sasuke who nodded, his own unique way of encouraging. Finally looking across the other side of the gym at her opponent, her green eyes pierce light blue ones.

"…Yeah…"


	46. The Insurmountable Wall!

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!... that makes me sad****. Belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!**

The Insurmountable Wall…!

"So… Sakura, it's you and me… first round… I never saw it coming." The two rivals glared at one another with furious intensity.

Sakura pulled her head band from the tie in her hair. _"I'm first up… my teams watching! I won't lose!"_ "Understand this Ino… I'm never letting you win, not here, not anywhere else! I'm no longer the weak nerdy little girl I used to be! You don't even compare anymore!"

The blond immediately took offense. "You forget who you're talking too?! Don't you even think you're better than me you sniveling little crybaby!" now she was riled up.

From above Naruko glanced at the Uchiha from the corner of her eye. Two girls were fighting over him and all he did this whole time was pull an expressionless face. Either he really didn't care, or he just didn't want to show it… all these love triangle stuff really confused her… but she had to admit, she had never seen such a serious expression on her female teammates face before. Like her life depended on this one fight.

"_**I won't wear my head band across my forehead… until the day I can stand up to you as a full-fledged ninja!"**_

Ino could recall Sakura's promise as if it were yesterday. Pulling her headband from her waist she also tied the band on her forehead. _"I get it now… let's fight fair and square!" _

Sakura immediately made the first move. Summoning two more clones of herself and charged.

Taking the defensive position Ino smirked "Do you really think you can win with textbook academy stuff?! Gimme a break!" she could easily figure out which one was the real one.

The moment those words had left her mouth. Sakura's speed picked up, surprising her opponent with a solid right hook. "Come on Ino! Stop holding back!"

"If that's the way you want it fine by me!"

They traded blow for blow, barely hitting their marks. As a spectator Naruko just couldn't believe the fierce determination Sakura was expressing right now. It made her admire her even more.

"Sakura's so cool! Where'd she get all this determination!?" Sasuke raised one eye brow at her. "She got it from you…"

"…from me…?" she was in disbelief. Sakura was pretty, smart and everything Naruko wished she was... Sasuke must've been pulling her chain. "Yeah right! I bet Sakura had this all along, and never showed anybody!"

Shrugging, he had no time to explain simple things. Sakura was coming into her own, he could tell, but… she was still fighting for a stupid reason.

"GO SAKURA! YOU CAN DO IT!"

Ten minute's in… Sakura was still holding her own against Ino. Their strength's were on the same level, but neither would give in. Another simultaneous punch from both they knocked each other away.

Ino wiped the blood from her chin "It's unthinkable! You can't be my equal!" she growled. Her opponent stood back into a fighting position and smirked "You're right, the magnitude of your obsession with your long hair and appearance is peerless… I'm no match for you!"

That was all it took, Ino snapped. She withdrew a kunai from her pouch and clenched it tightly in her hand.

Preparing for a weapon attack Sakura made a defensive stance.

"You've gone too far Haruno-" in one swift jerking movement Ino sliced unevenly near her elastic, removing the long tail of blond hair. "-This is nothing!" she tossed it carelessly in front of her, letting all the strains of hair fall to the ground.

Shikamaru was in shock at her sudden snap _"she's completely lost it!"_

Naruko shuddered. "Ino… scare's me.." Sasuke merely glared at the confusing battle. Nothing was making any sense at all.

"This ends now! I'm gonna make your lips say 'I give up!'" she made a hand sign with her fingers, similar to a square.

Sakura quickly recognized the sign and smirked "heh… a little impatient now aren't we Ino? We both know you only have one shot at hitting your mark… you'll just be wasting your time." She knew her old friends Mind-Transfer jutsu. After all, her family specialized in the mind and soul techniques out of the whole village.

"So what?! No one knows what will happen unless I give it a try!"

_**Mind-Transfer Jutsu!**_

At the last possible second Sakura ran out of her area of sight.

Naruko waited to see what would happen next, hoping her teammate wasn't caught by the mind-transfer-thingy. Once again glancing over at Sasuke his eye's seemed more slit, like he was concentrated on the battle… but something else seemed to have been bugging him, she noticed. His face was suppressing something, she didn't know what but to her it seemed almost like… pain?

She opened her mouth to question him but her attention was glued back to the fight.

She watched with a wicked smirk as Ino slumped into herself. "You missed Ino… I guess you've had enough-!" she flexed her leg muscles to move but was held in place. Looking down Sakura gasped in shock, there was no way she couldn't have seen that coming.

"you can't move at all can you? I made living rope out of my hair and add just a bit of charka to strengthen it…"

She glared at her blond opponent, it was smart to distract and carefully place a trap right in front of her… but Sakura wished she had seen it. This wasn't going to end well.

_**Mind-Transfer Jutsu!**_

Both girls slumped.

"You lose… Sakura"

And that was it, she knew her teammate was caught… but still not out!

The possessed Sakura raised her hand already a plan in mind, but not Sakura's minds. "I Haruno Sakura… wish to withdraw from the match!"

Naruko couldn't let her teammate forfeit so easily. "No, don't do it Sakura! Don't you dare forfeit!"

The Sakura imposture gave her an evil look. She was loud and giving her a headache. _"just shut up you loud mouth!"_

"You can't quit in front of Sasuke!"

Her green emerald eye's widened in realization. _"No! I can't quit! Sasuke's watching!- Sakura?!"_ Ino's mind and soul was clenched painfully within her body. She was breathing quickly in little pants. _"this can't be! H-how-INO GET OUT OF MY BODY! OR YOU'LL REGRET IT!"_

Sakura fell to the ground clutching her head, an inner battle raging between the two girls.

The proctor looked at the trembling girl in confusion. "Uh… I don't understand do you withdraw or not?"

"HELL NO DO I WITHDRAW! I'M STAYING IN CHA!" her eye's were wide and angry.

Naruko whooped joyfully. She knew there was no way she was gonna easily give in to that bleach blond Ino!

Sasuke smiled, actually proud of his teammates feat.

Ino quickly transferred back to her own body, not being able to hold on any longer. She sat across from Sakura breathing in very deeply. Looking exhausted and tired. "There's was… two different minds in there… before I got there"

The pink haired fighter smiled. "Remember? Even the sweetest girl needs a hard center… or she'll never make it out there…"

Naruko was on the edge of the railing, so engulfed in the fight… she could tell both girls were running out of gas. And this next move will decide the victor.

Both female fighters pushed off their hind feet and charged. Perfectly timed fists connected with their targets. At the same time both were sent flying on opposite sides of the gym.

Flop!

"Neither combatant is able to continue… therefore both do not move past the preliminary round!" the proctor announced.

"BOO! SAKURA TOTALLY WON THAT! SHE WAS CLEARLY THE LAST TO PASS OUT!" the angry blond piped, drawing everyone's attention to herself. Naruko would not have a tie! Sakura had worked so hard to beat her.

"REMATCH-OW! Don't hit Sasuke!" she rubbed the top of her head, looking pitiful. The Uchiha just glared. "Shut up you idiot! their both knocked out! They fought until they both gave out! That's enough now." eyes wide, mouth slightly open she was ashamed of herself. Sasuke was right, Sakura had fought right to the bitter end and she should be proud of her teammate. "I'm sorry…" "…hn, shouldn't be apologizing to me…" damn Sasuke! when did he get so nice?

Naruko watched as Kakashi carried Sakura's unconscious body up to the second floor, setting her directly behind them. Just as she was about to kneel in front of her she heard her name being called.

"…Naruko… it's your turn…" Sasuke pointed up at the green glowing board and just as he said there was her name bright in big white lettering along with… Kiba's.

From cross the gym she could see his expression, horrified and sad. Naruko grinned and waved excitedly "It's out turn Kiba!" this didn't seem to cheer him up, but he only seemed to get more depressed. _"I don't wanna fight Naruko though…"_

**AN: Hey everyone! I'm trying my every best at trying to keep these things going… as you can see I'm changing things slightly… Soo Naruko against Kiba? And what is this? He doesn't want to fight her?!... hmm curious… well, have fun reading everyone! And thanks for not giving up on me!**


	47. Naruko vs Kiba!

**Disclaimer: I own nothing…. Still belong to Masashi Kishmoto!**

Naruko vs Kiba…!

The hyper blond was practically jumping with joy once her name was called. "YEAH! WATCH ME TAKE IT ALL! BELIEVE IT!"

Kiba on the other hand… wasn't as enthusiastic. _"Damnit!... of all people! Why'd it have to be Naruko?!"_ he chewed nervously on the inside of his cheek, cursing his luck.

Sasuke watched from above with barely concealed interest. Hoping his teammate doesn't screw up and lose to a dog breathed loser like Kiba.

Sensing his discomfort Kakashi chuckled, which immediately earned him a glare. "What?" the Uchiha demanded. "Oh nothing… I've just never seen you this worried before… it's a little cute on your face." He earned himself another glare, more-fierce than the one before.

"All right Kiba! You ready!? Cause your about to be struck down by a lightning bolt of AWESOMENESS!" she yelled.

Kiba tried to hide his unease with a smile, but only coming out as a grimace. "Uh… yeah, sure…" Even though they were preparing to fight one another, Kiba couldn't help but think of how much she hadn't changed since they were kids.

Her over the top attitude, empty boasts, and never fading grin… nothing about her had changed…

_~~~~~10 years ago~~~~~_

_With demands from his mother, a young four year old Kiba walks the school grounds in search of a friend, although he would have been fine without any... _

_Looking over in the titter-totters general direction he spots Shikamaru and Choji. They were smart… didn't bother you too much… but then again, their sense of fun was sitting around and watching boring clouds! Clouds!_

_Looking at the newly built apparatus he immediately spotted a group of girls. His mother would actually like it if his friends were girls… but they all seemed to be whispering and looking in a certain direction. Following what they were giggling at Kiba immediately noticed a black clad boy, hair spiked in the back of his head, and eyes down cast on the sand beneath his feet. The swing he sat on seemed sad as it slowly swung._

_Kiba knew who the boy was the moment he set eyes on him. He didn't even need to look at the fan crest on the back of his shirt. _

_Uchiha Sasuke was the number one student in the practical classes! No doubt that he of all people would impress his mom! But… He just seemed to high strung, like he worshipped his family linage or something. His horse was WAY too high for Kiba. _

"_LOOK OU-!"_

_He didn't even have time to brace himself from the sudden collision with his back. All that Kiba could feel was the small pressure on his upper back and the tiniest hint of dirt in his mouth. _

"_Oh! Sorry man, you okay?!" _

_Turning his head to yell at the person still on top of his back, Kiba was met with big blue eyes, cute whiskered cheeks, all framed by short tresses of bright blond hair… but in the light from the sun above, they were a shimmering gold. His yell died in the back of his throat. "…yeah…" _

_She grinned at his answer, genuinely happy he wasn't hurt. "Oh good! Here let me help you up!" hopping off his back she offered him a hand of help, which he took gratefully. Dusting himself off Kiba gave the shorter girl a lopsided smile. "I'm Kiba…!"she seemed taken back but his introduction, as if she was expecting him to just brush her off. if possible her smile brightened. "I'm the future Hokage Na-!"_

"_NARUKO! WHERE ARE YOU?! YOU LITTLE-" "-Oh crap! Master Iruka!" Grabbing hold of her first friend they were off in a mad sprint, heading in any direction as long it was away from the angry teacher. _

_The brunette boy chanced a single glance back. To catch a pair of onyx eyes glaring holes into the both of their backs. "What's his problem?" Kiba thought to himself. _

_The rest of his day was spent ducking and dodging teachers, sometimes even elite ninjas! It was scary business!... but somehow, to Naruko… it was all game of hide and seek. He's never had as much fun in his entire life._

_Finally home, Kiba enthusiastically jumps in front of his mother deliberately blocking her entrance into the eating area. "I made a friend today!" _

_Interested, his mom nods her head "That's good… what's your friend's name?"_

"_Naruko Uzumaki!"_

_His mother paled at the mention of the name. But Kiba took no notice. "She's so cool mom! Today-" "No!" she suddenly burst. "I don't want you to bother with that girl. You hear me?" she was eye-level, giving a serious look he had never seen her use before. _

"_b-But why?!" her facial expression softened at his saddened one, he must have really grown fond with her. But she couldn't have that. _

"_She's a bad influence… I want your word that you will no longer talk to that girl… got it?" although there was a long pause of hesitation he nodded anyway. "…okay…" _

_The next day Naruko waited by the school gates for him, like they promised the day before to meet. For once someone had stayed around to talk to her. She was ecstatic! _

_Right on time he came down the block, head hung low… not looking up. She recognized this posture, other people had done this to her, an attempt to avoid her. Thinking positively she thought 'maybe he was only looking at the ground?' running up to him she waved _

"_Hey Kiba!" _

_He didn't answer only walk on ahead before stopping in front of a group and talking happily with them. Once again in an attempt to catch his attention she ran behind him and tapped his shoulder. "Hey Kiba, remember we were suppose-to meet at the front gate?" she tried to hide the desperation in her voice, but... _

_Finally hearing her he turned around and gave her a questioning look. "Do I know you?" _

_Her throat went dry as reality crashed into her. Her four year old mind couldn't comprehend the overwhelming emotion that filled her. _

_Turning on her heel she fled. _

~~~~~Present Time~~~~~

Years later Kiba regrets not ever talking to her. She was his first friend… his first crush…

Naruko was pumped and ready to fight. Her mind filled with catchy-phrases she could use once she was named victor.

"Match… Start!"

Kiba bobbed and weaved, easily avoiding every attack she attempted. His speed was impeccable but... not once had he tried to counteract her attacks.

"Don't underestimate me Kiba! I'm not someone to take so lightly!" she finally got him with an uppercut to the chin. Satisfied with a one hit, she jumped away waiting for him to make the next move.

He rubbed his jaw absent mindedly. "Naruko… just quit."

The blond let out a loud laugh. "You're kidding right?! There's no way I'm ever going to do that! I'm gonna win fair and square! So you better start fighting or I'll never have any respect for you!"

_**Beast Mimicry Jutsu! **_

Now on all fours, Kiba looked like an actual animal. Naruko didn't even have enough time to__block a direct aim for her stomach. Flying away and skidding to a stop. Her expression bewildered.

Sasuke couldn't help the expression of concern from crawling to his pale facial features. _"come on you idiot, you're on team 7 act like it!"_ although no matter how much he wanted to say it… he couldn't even begin to move his lips to form the right words.

"If you really wanna fight?… Akamaru!" the white pup jumped to his side in a flash. _"I don't want to hurt Naruko… I can't let her think less of me! I'm going to end this here and now!"_

He crouched down on all fours. Akamaru jumped on his back completing their first step.

_**Bark! Bark! (Human Mimicry Jutsu!)**_

_**(JuJin Bushin!) Man-Beast Dopple-Gangers!**_

Naruko was now standing in a defensive position, ready for any attack that he may throw at her. Both Kiba look-a-likes charged, twisted their bodies in different angles. But before she could identify which area they were going to attack from, a cloud of smoke filled the area around her. "What the hel-!"

_**Fang~Over-Fang!**_

She was knocked back and forth within the cloud of smoke. It was as if two tornadoes were ripping past her, doing heavy blows before another followed right after.

Her hands acted on their own, her mind to fuzzy to come up with a solid plan.

_**Transformation Jutsu!**_

Both Kakashi and Sasuke smirked… they would expect her first instinct to be a prank.

Three Kiba's stood in the middle of the disappearing clouds, glaring at one another. "Sorry Naruko…" Pushing off his right foot he used the other to deliver a powerful blow to the impostures abdominal.

"I can still smell you.."

The guise disappeared in a puff of smoke… leaving an unconscious Akamaru.

All of the teams around were in disbelief. The blond below them was not the same girl they went to the ninja academy with. "A double prank… the dope has really out done herself this time." Sasuke was proud to call her a teammate.

Kiba turned and like the first delivered a harder kick. "Trying to fool me?!"

His next target tumbled away in a flail of arms and legs. A cloud of smoke bursting up as the jutsu wore off, and out of the smoke a small white pup skidded to a stop. "What?! But how could-!"

He was cut off by a sharp kick to the side of the head, sending him flying alongside his partner Akamaru.

"…Way to go Dope…" Sasuke acknowledged his teammates quick thinking... something she's never been good with. "Alright Naruko Uzumaki! Fight! Fight! Fight! The power of youth is strong within you!" Lee jumped excitedly right next to him. He gave the Taijutsu user an annoyed look, wishing he had chosen a spot farther away from bushy-brow Mc. Gee.

Kiba looked at her, eyes wide, a trail of blood running down his chin. She had tricked him twice, both times he thought he had her… Naruko had improved. But he wasn't about to have her win this fight!

"Alright, I'm ending this fight here and now! With a very special move even the Hokage couldn't penetrate!" She made a series of hand signs, they seemed oddly familiar to Kiba but he couldn't remember where he had seen them… perhaps she picked this one up from her master Kakashi. If that was the case, he couldn't let her unleash it.

Flinging two fists full of kunai Kiba hoped to distract her long enough so he could make a final blow. Naruko dipped and dived, avoiding all flying projectiles ungracefully. "Damnit! It's not gonna stop me Kiba!"

She turned just in time to find him about to swipe at her side. Pushing a hand out she easily caught his forearm, about to use his weight against him she hadn't counted on a protruding kunai stuck in the ground behind her weighted foot.

"_CRAP-!"_

Everyone's eyes bugged out at the scene below. Shikamaru wanted to kill Kiba himself. While Sasuke could only think of hurting the idiotic blond!

Noses squished, bodies so close they were sharing unwanted warmth. Naruko's mouth was shut tight into a thin line only one thing racing through her mind. _"Not again, NotAgain! NOTAGAIN!"_

The dog breathed boy above her on the other hand was blushing from ear to ear. His usually tanned skin was replaced with a burning pink.

Before she pushed him off Naruko noticethe engulfing blushing and blanched… who knew Kiba was a closet pervert. Just like…! That's when she had hatched an idea.

_**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**_

Dozens of little blonds surrounded the tomato faced dog boy, each wearing a signature smirk that spelled doom.

_**Harem Jutsu!**_

Kakashi covered his mouth in surprise, there was now no doubt Naruko had found his Ichi-Ichi paradise book and had been secretly reading it. Looking to her old academy teacher Iruka, the white haired jonin noticed an angry tick on his exposed forehead. He couldn't have taught her that move.

Sasuke had to turn to the side in embarrassment… if anyone asked he didn't know her. Lee beside him was on the ground eyes rolled in the back of his head. Poor little guy didn't even know what had hit him.

Pretty much the majority of the male population had deep red blushes. Hell, Even last years number one rookie tried his best to hide a blush. All but one boy blushed, Gaara of the sand remand stoic as ever, maybe even a little curious.

While the female population that knew her sighed in humiliation, the others just seemed to be amused… anything counted as a weapon.

"And the winner of this match goes to… Naruko Uzumaki!"

Said winner was currently poking the unconscious body that was her opponent. At hearing her name she jumped up and down laughing. "I WIN! I WIN! YEAH BELIEVE IT!" The Uchiha shook his head, not **believing** his teammate. "idiot…"

As Naruko ran up the stairs, running past Hinata and her sensei, she didn't notice the questioning look that followed her. This Naruko Uzumaki was a very confusing person… even now as her hair was being pulled by the last Uchiha, Gaara found her interesting. _"Her facial expressions are very extreme…."_ He thought, not once did his eyes leave her.

Meanwhile with Kiba…

"_I CAN'T BELIEVE I KISSED NARUKO! WOOHOO! AKAMARU IF I'M FEVERED DON'T CURE ME!"_

Kiba's nose bleed had finally stopped. He had woken up beside where his teammates had watched the fight. Only cracking one eye open he immediately searched his limited area for Naruko. Once she was spotted his heart was sent into an erratic beat, sending heat to his face. _"I don't wanna wake up yet…" _closing his eyes, he replayed the moment over and over in his head, making his heart swell in happiness.

"_I'm never going to give up on Naruko!"_

Back with team 7…

OW! OW! OW! What I do?! What I do?! SASUKE STOP PULLING MY HAIR!" The pigtailed girl yelled in pain, although no matter much she screamed and begged Sasuke just wouldn't listen. His meter of angry to pissed off was completely off the charts!

"Idiot! why are you so stupid?!" "-ow! Ow! I don't know! I don't know! Please stop!"

Kakashi watched his two pupils with amusement "well, well this is certainly an interesting find…" "…hmm? Master Kakashi?... (groan) what happened? Why is Sasuke pulling Naruko's hair?" the older jonin turned to give his waking student a knowing smile. "Oh it's quite an interesting story, one you'd no doubt find funny!"

**AN: Ello! (…kitty…) It's been awhile! AND I'VE FINALLY FINISHED THIS CHAPTER! Well I wanted to keep working on this chapter but I didn't want to take up too much time on this one… haha well thanks for being patient! **


	48. Unholy Gift!

**Disclaimer: I AIN'T OWN NONE OF THIS! Masashi Kishimoto is the dude that owns EVERYTHING! ^U^**

Unholy Gifts!

Naruko sat beside her teammates rubbing the top of her head sorely. Sasuke didn't need to go that far! Her head was practically throbbing from all the hair pulling and she could swear patches of her hair were missing! Though she wouldn't count Sasuke to actually pull all her hair out…

As she was recovering from the torturous hair pulling of the furious Uchiha (she didn't know why he was so pissed, he's just confusing…) they had already missed a couple of fights… one being Shikamaru's, she really wanted to see that one!, and the other's being the two sand siblings fights, as well as Shino's… she didn't know him well enough to actually want to see his, and also Choji's. Mostly all of the leaf had won,… minus Choji… but the two oldest sand siblings had won their fights, and from what everyone had told her they had won without any effort at all!

There was only a few genin left, Hinata, Sasuke, Neji, Some dude she had never met before named Yoroi, that Gaara guy, and Lee. She worried for Hinata, if she was pitted against Sasuke there was no way he was going to go easy on her… but then again Lee would probably not want to hold back either…. And at hearing how the two sand ninja's had won, Naruko had to wonder about the youngest in their group. If the two of them were so strong and scared of him… just how strong was he?

It was so out of character for her to be wondering about such things. But since she was done with her match she had a lot more time to think about these things. Her mind over flowing with the possibilities of what would happen to poor Hinata if she fought against any of them … and maybe she was worried for Sasuke as well.

Just as she was about to have a mental break through as to why she was suddenly so smart her stomach growled in protest! _"DAMNIT! I'M HUNGRY!"_

Sasuke watched his teammates facial expressions change from pained to blank and-than to miserable. He had to scoff at the possibility she was thinking of food. He didn't know when he started to read the Uzumaki… but he found it strange. _"The idiots just weird… that's all…!"_ He clutched his neck in pain, taking care to not attract too much attention to himself. The mark hadn't stopped throbbing… somehow it was getting worse the more he waited. He swallowed the hard lump in his throat down waiting for the pain to subside. The small intervals of numbing pain were what he waited for… prayed for. Everything was just a blurry image once the pulses of pain hit.

His hands unknowingly clutched the railing bars, his hands turning white from the pressure. "….Sasuk…. Sasuke?" the buzzing in his ears had finally died. Looking to the person who called him he gave her a blank expression. "What Sakura?" She flinched at his expression. "Are you okay? **It's** not hurting you is it?" **It **being the curse mark, but he had asked her in the forest not to let Naruko know about it. Saying she would 'only waste energy worrying about me'. "I'm fine." He quickly brushed her worries off, it was unnecessary right now.

Everyone waited for the next two names to be on the bored, the remaining people were the most anxious, or irritated.

"And the next two candidate of this next match will be…"

The Uchiha forced himself to stay awake, the pain was slowly tiring him… he didn't think he could last any longer.

"Uchiha Sasuke and Akado Yoroi. Please make your way down to the lower gallery!"

At hearing his name called Sasuke immediately lifted his head fully awake. _"Finally!"_ His opponent's eyes were nothing but black circle's, his mouth was hidden underneath a black veil. _"Heh, the kid looks as if he'll pass out soon… this will be easy."_

As Sasuke walked passed his teammates, ignoring Sakura's small plea for him not to go, he was stopped by a determined look Naruko gave him. "What?" he tried to sound like her stare didn't affect him. She only lowered her head, looking at the recently washed tiled floor at their feet. "Sasuke… if you plan to fight me later… Don't you dare lose now!" His expression remained passive while on the inside he was shocked. This is exactly what he needed, he didn't want to quit, not while he had a goal to accomplish… and he also wanted to fight her as well. "Hn, don't have to tell me twice…" She gave him her signature grin as he walked by.

Kakashi waited for his student to pass him before warning him of the dangerous mark on the back of his neck. Although Sasuke was shocked to hear he had known and told to not use his Sharingan, he kept walking as if he wasn't affected at all.

The Uchiha now stood across from his opponent, face twisted in half concealed pain. Sasuke knew he was at his limit from keeping the mark from consuming him. But he could still fight, he just couldn't use his chakra carelessly… like certain people, who were blond…

He couldn't exactly tell by the mask but his black circled eyes were mocking him. "Should I start?" In an attempt to appear in fighting condition, Sasuke gave him a cocky smirk. "Go for it." He challenged.

Predictably his first move was to throw a number of Kunai and Shuriken, Sasuke could barely dodge them all and the last wave of weapons was dodged with him throwing himself to the ground… Naruko had to wonder why? Before he was in tiptop condition, now he just seemed to be forcing his body… something was very wrong.

The Uchiha barely had enough time to roll out of the way of a chakra powered fist aimed for his head. Instead of his head, the fist struck the ground making a small crater shape. While his opponents was trying to remove his arm from ground Sasuke used both feet to push the bigger genin's torso, while at the same time grabbing his arm to his chest. Yoroi struggled against the jutisu hold the Uchiha held him in.

Using his pelvis Sasuke tried to break the bigger mans arm, hoping to end this fight with a non-chakra based move. The hand he was about to snap twisted and grabbed onto his dark blue shirt, clutching the fabric. With only one more push Sasuke could've snapped his arm… but it didn't. His arms and legs suddenly had no strength in them, the hold was slipping.

With a swift yank, the arm was free. Sasuke looked up surprised but was knocked back down when the arm slammed back into him. Yoroi twisted his entire body and punched the Uchiha back into the ground before jumping away.

Sasuke lay on the ground groaning in pain, tittering on and off consciousness.

Naruko watched the fight with worry while Sakura beside her couldn't bare to watch anymore and turned her head to look away.

Once he was knocked back into the ground Naruko noticed his body trying to relax into unconsciousness. "SASUKE! GET UP!" the words left her mouth before she thought of them. Her eyes widen in hopefulness once he shot up from the ground in a sitting position, bad idea. Once Sasuke was sitting upright he was grabbed by the forehead and pushed back down to the ground, arms laying helplessly at his sides… it was if he was completely weak to even move his limbs.

"…You're feeding on my chakra…" Sasuke had finally figured out what was happening to his body. It wasn't the mark on his neck, it was this guy, he had the ability to suck the Chakra from you with the palm of his hand.

His masked opponent didn't answer only laugh which was all the confirmation he needed.

His eyes were close to closing, they felt heavy. He look up towards both of teammates. Sakura was looking away, figures she wouldn't think he could win. While Naruko was standing on the bottom bar of the railings, looking down hard at the both of them… her stare expecting him to do something already.

Almost like a burst of energy exploded within him, Sasuke kicked upwards into his opponents chest pushing him a four meters away from him.

Yoroi shook his head from the after math of the blow and chuckled "heh-heh I didn't actually think you'd have been able to do that…"

Although he was able to push him off himself, Sasuke didn't think he had enough energy to keep fighting.

Naruko noticed he was struggling to keep conscious, looking to the side she noticed Sakura's hands gripping each other tightly. She didn't what she could do from here but on the other side of her Lee was also anxious.

"HOW CAN YOU CALL YOURSELF AN UCHIHA?! YOU'RE A DISGRACE TO… TO YOURSELF! COME ON SASUKE! AREN'T YOU EMBRASSED TO HAVE EVERYONE SEE YOU A BIG LOSER?!" his eyes lifted to her momentarily, she gave him a hard look… well as hard as she could make. Than they widened once they drifted towards Lee, who was also leaning over the railing. What was he thinking?

Yoroi rushed at the distracted Uchiha, hand glowing with blue chakra. "Bad time to be daydreaming-!"

Before he was a able to attack Sasuke got him with a uppercut kick in the chin. Sending him flying high in the air, pushing on all fours Sasuke appeared behind his opponent.

Both Lee and Naruko looked at each other and at the floating Uchiha. The blond was the first to say what they were both thinking. "Hey Lee! That's you're move!" she sounded giddy. Although Lee himself was shock and surprised, how could Uchiha learn to do his move with only one look? It had taken Lee a very long time to learn the move, and even longer to execute it in battle… yet he was able to only see it and copy it, it wasn't as flawless as his but Lee couldn't understand how the Uchiha was able to do it with only one fight. _"!... The Sharingan!... to be able to copy after only one match is amazing!"_

Sasuke prepared his body for his next attack, when a gripping pain shot through his body. It was as if fire was spreading beneath is skin, its source coming from the mark. He flew threw the air paralyzed by pain. _"Damnit! It's consuming my body!"_

Naruko noticed the blackening skin, and gasped... she had never noticed before! Sakura beside her also noticed the markings a feeling of guilt over filled her, she should've told the instructors about the mark. _"No! The mark's consuming him! Someone! Please stop the fight!"_

Sasuke couldn't handle the pain for much longer.

_**Idiot! Why are you trying to act so cool?!**_

His memory played to a loud blond screaming at him… not the greatest memory. But somehow it gave him the tiniest comfort.

_**Sasuke… if you plan to fight me later… Don't you dare lose now!**_

"…_That's right… I can't lose to this thing!"_ with all his might he pushed the overwhelming power of the mark back.

Below him Kakashi was shocked, there was no way any normal person could control the curse mark. Sasuke was something else.

Finally in control of his body, Sasuke used his right leg to kick his side. Yoroi easily blocked it, having all that time to recuperate in the air. "Amature move!"

The leg was quickly pulled back. This time Yoroi had no time to block the side punch to the face. One hit followed after another, pushing his opponent to the ground. Finally with one last hard side kick into the stomach Yoroi struck the ground, blood spurting from his mouth. With that last hit Sasuke pushed himself away from the unconscious man, skidding backwards.

The instructor checked the masked man to see if he was still wake. He was unconscious, just as he suspected. Movement out of the corner of his eye he could tell the Uchiha was still conscious.

With a groan, Sasuke sat up on his elbows struggling to catch his breath.

"The winner of this match goes to Uchiha Sasuke!"

"HE DID IT!" Naruko jumped up and down happily grabbing onto Lee's neck, throwing him as she spun. "Please! Stop! AH!"

Sakura was looking down at Sasuke… surprised. She didn't think he would actually be able to win. With a breath of fresh air she sighed. "…I'm so glad…"

The hyper blond had finally let Lee go and was leaning over the railing, smiling brightly. Now Sasuke was able to advance to the next round and come one step closer to fighting her!

Just as he was about to pass out from exhaustion, but a knee held him in place. Looking back, Sasuke was surprised to find Kakashi standing casually reading his little orange book. "Well done, I personally didn't think you actually had it in you… but… I know a certain someone who had believed in you right from the get-go." The dark haired teen looked up at the bouncing Uzumaki girl, her face was glowing with happiness. _"Hn… that's because I made a promise to the little idiot…"_ his bloodied lips turned upwards in a barely seen smile.

"Hey Sasuke!... you won! But in such an uncool way! And you came out looking like the one who got beat up!" she shouted from her spot on the balcony. "Shut up…clown!…" They gave one another playful glares before Kakashi leaned down ear level with Sasuke; whispering something to him in his ear and-than disappearing in a cloud of smoke. The rest of team 7 was left behind confused, and abandoned.

Looking to usual happy teammate, Sakura hoped to see a beaming smile. Naruko stood glaring down at the same spot with a serious look on her whiskered face. "Sakura…" The pink haired female almost jumped at the sound in her voice, she had never heard her use that tone before. "What's wrong Naruko?" "…I saw a mark on Sasuke's neck…. Like fungus… I think it was causing him pain. Did you see it?" Sakura wasn't expecting her to sound so…. Sad? When she would ask about the mark… thinking of a fast excuse, she shook her head. "No…I didn't…"

Her answer brought her teammate down even more. "I bet he's hiding something from us… the jerk is always trying to act so cool that way. Next time I see him I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!"

And that was the end of team 7's matches. Everyone but Sakura had advanced to the next round. The last to matches were intense. Hinata's being the most futile. Naruko had made a promise to beat the smug smirk off the older Hyuga's face after attempting to kill his little cousin... instead of cursing him, or anything she had seen most people do. Hinata smiled sadly at her cousin. At the end of the match she had leaned over and whispered something into his ear before she spit up a gush of blood covering the front of Neji's shirt. Saying a pitiful apology Hinata had fainted, Neji had surprisingly caught her and handed her to the medical corps without saying anything. At first he looked surprised, but than he composed himself back into a blank expression.

Lee's fight was different, Naruko had hoped the outcome to be the green spandex wearing ninja winning it all… but that was not so.

No matter how hard Lee had fought he couldn't win against the no eyebrow sand ninja. It had never mattered how fast he was, he was beaten in the beginning. Although he was at a huge disadvantage, Lee never gave up. He pushed his body till everyone saw the hard work and drive he had put into his training. Naruko found him to be an inspiration. But in the end Lee was beaten and battered… so was Gaara, but with a quick wave of his sand he was completely healed. She had to wonder what the red haired boy had to go through in order to become this strong… By the end of it, for an extended second their eye's had met. She just couldn't shake the feeling this Gaara kid looked so familiar to her… like she seen him somewhere before. If she ever finds him floating around the village by himself she'd have to ask him.

But from a month from now… she'd have to face Neji Hyuga. She couldn't have asked for a better challenge.


	49. a familiar face!

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! Everything belongs to the respectable own Masashi Kishimoto! **

A Familiar Face!?

Although she felt like she searched the whole village, Kakashi was nowhere to be found. Sakura was passing the time doing things for her mother, Naruko didn't want to get in the way of that.

Just recently she had found out that Sasuke was admitted into Konoha hospital. So right now she was arguing with the nurse to let her in.

The nurse merely gave her that disgusted look everyone seemed to wear when she was alone. "He is resting right now come back in a week!" "What?! But he's my teammate!" "I Said No!" with a final huff both nurse's manning the receptionist counter left the frustrated Uzumaki girl.

It was a good thing she was a ninja.

…

Naruko jumped through the window of the open room, careful to try and not make too much noise. Smirking to herself she stood up brushing hair back.

Gliding over to the bed Sasuke rested in, she noticed he seemed more peaceful when he was sleeping… did he dream? Or just shut down like a robot? She would never know.

Looking to the side of his bed, she immediately-seen a brightly yellow daffodil placed in a vase next to a passionate red rose. Which was odd, maybe Sakura and Ino had been here? The rose was beautiful sure… but somehow the brightly coloured daffodil brought more life into the room and more color into the resting Uchiha's pale face.

Rummaging through her orange shorts pocket, she pulled out a homemade get well card. It was just recently made, about half an hour ago. A stick ninja on the front of the card giving the thumbs up with yellow pigtails, she smiled to herself in self-accomplishment, this was all she wanted to give him.

…..

Walking the streets of the village there was still no sign of her sensei. Just as she was about to give up and call it a day a familiar head of white hair scurried across her line of sight. In a mad sprint she chased the infuriating sensei of hers down the dirt path. The more she ran the more he seemed to gain speed.

As if he knew she was chasing him.

He finally stopped at a three story building, casually walking into the hallway complex. Coming to the other side she met her dead end, there was no way Kakashi could've lost her that easily!

Sighing in defeat, she drooped exhaustedly on the paint chipped wall. "Where did he go?!" just as she was about to turn around and go back the way she came, cold devoid eyes met hers.

He stood on a small ledge on the side of the building looking down on her.

Azure met vibrant blue.

It seemed like forever before she opened her mouth to speak. "Hmph! What do you want?!" turning on her heels, she made her way into the building, hoping to avoid this creepy guy.

"… Tell me your name…" His voice also didn't reveal any emotion, which was even more unnerving.

Turning her head back she gave him an annoyed look. "I don't have to tell you anything!" finally with a bit of space between them she stopped and turned, fully facing him.

Gaara stood at one end of the hall, as she stood at the other. The light seeped more from her end, adding more colour to her already colourful attire and hair.

He gave her one of the most skin crawling glares she had ever gotten in her entire life, one that was even more terrifying than the Uchiha's... Not that she was scared of his glares.

"What's your name" It sounded more like a demand.

Annoyance filled her. "I'm Sasuke's friend!" with her piece said she left, leaving him irritated and confused.

"I can't believe that guy!" she scoffed. "He's Sasuke's opponent!" _"…..The look in his eye's….. I've seen them before…"_

…

"Naruko… there's my favourite little blon.-" "-KAKASHI! I'VE BEEN LOOKING EVERYWHERE FOR YOU!" She pointed accusingly at him. In defense he lifted his hands to protect himself. "Now, now. I was held up with some very important business… I can't help that." "I want you to teach me!" she quickly brushed off his excuse, everyone in team 7 heard enough of them to last a life time.

"Now, you see about that… I've already arranged for someone to oversee your training, while I help Sasuke with his." His blond student crossed her arms in a childish pout. "It's always Sasuke with you! You never have time for me!" She turned her back on him. The white haired jonin sighed. "Now Naruko, he's a very good teacher. He teaches only the elite ninja in the village. He's much better than I am." She looked up at him with unbelieving eyes "Really?" "And the guy's really good to be around. Trust me he'll be your new best friend in no time!"

"Ah, it has been a while Naruko…!" she recognized that voice.

An ugly shudder crawled up her spine. _"Oh, God! NOT HIM!"_

"NO! NOT THIS CLOSET PERV!" She pointed at said pervert with an over exaggerated expression of disgust.

Kakashi looked back and forth between the two. "Ebisu… a closet perv?"

Ebisu was blushing under the pressure of the blank stare the white haired jonin was giving him. "So you two already know each other?" He had to scoff. Of course he knew Naruko Uzumaki… he would never forget the humiliation she had put him through.

"Yeah! The guy is totally a pervert! This one time-!"

Before the little ditz could finish her sentence Ebisu was covering her mouth with his right hand, frantically trying to wave off the confused look Kakashi was giving him. "It's nothing! Really!" he bent to whisper into the smaller girl's ear. "If you shut up about that, I'll treat you to ramen! All you can eat!" She narrowed her blue eyes in suspicion before replying. "You better swear!" "I do!"

"Huh? What's up you two?" "It's nothing!" Naruko distracted him with a trademark Uzumaki grin. He shrugged his shoulders uncaringly. "Well I better go… see you both later!"

Behind black sunglasses Ebisu's eyes narrowed, same as the blonds blue ones. "Ramen…?" "YES!"

…

"YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT?!"

"Change yourself into a boy!" he told her the second time in a row.

She eyed him suspiciously. "Why?"

"We're going to be training at the hot springs today." he plugged his ears for her impending shout.

"WHAT?! THERE"S NO WAY I'M GONNA GO TO THE HOT SPRINGS WITH YOU! Y-YOU DIRTY PERVERT!"

"We're not going use the bathing facilities! We will be training!"

"YOU'RE A DIRTY PERVERTED LIAR!"

~20 stubborn refusal's later~

"We'll be walking on water…" he noticed his skeptical look and smirked. "I'll demonstrate." With no effort at all, Ebisu walked to the middle of the body of water. The blond boy's eyes widened.

"Whoa! That is so cool! How'd you do it?!" he asked in a scratchy voice.

"It has the same basic principal as tree climbing… except this time it's water, not wood."

"I want to try!" he concentrated a portion of his chakra to the bottom of his feet and stepped onto the water. Throwing his arms around a few times before breaking the surface of the water and falling in.

"GODDAMNIT THAT'S HOT!" he frantically swam to land.

The closet pervert sensei had to admit… watching the Uzumaki fall in numerous times was amusing to watch, pathetic, but amusing.

"WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?!" after the twelfth attempt he had finally asked for his help. "You're using an unnecessary amount of chakra!... first you have to… and than….. Oh! But don't forget to…. now do it again Naruto!" Everything he was saying to him was going in one ear and out the other. He didn't have a clue what the private tutor was even spouting, they seemed like words… but longer. Finally, he stopped talking.

"Damnit! These clothes are heavy!" only removing his orange jacket and ninja sandals he prepared to do it once more.

Ebisu watched with pride at how much of an improvement he made in a short time. Just as he was about to reach the middle of the body of water he turned to look at him, when suddenly his eyes popped. Eyes wider then saucers, jaw slacked, he pointed in the direction of his shock before falling into the hot water below.

Looking to where he had last looked Ebisu found a snickering long white haired woman… peeping through a crack from the ladies bathing area.

As a true gentlemen, Ebisu straightened his fallen glasses and glared. "Madam, please stop peeping into the men's side, or I will have to call the authorities!"

The woman jumped the fence and smirked. "Ooh! A feisty one aren't you? Why not put me away yourself? If you can handle me." She stuck her tongue out at him playfully,

Ebisu seemed frustrated, "Madam, it is by all right that I hand you into the authorities! Please cooperate and no harm will come to you!"

"Oh but I like it rough!" she grinned, the evil glint in her eyes sparked something mischievous.

Naruko watched from the hot water as the sunglasses pervert charged at this unknown person. The woman seemed quickly uninterested and sighed. "Really? I suppose this is all your gonna give me now, isn't it?" she disappeared in a poof of smoke.

…In a matter of seconds Ebisu was laid on his back, unconscious.

"Honestly, the leaf's strong and handsome men department still hasn't changed a bit." She pouted in disappointment.

Naruko had a look of shock, who was this old hag? And how could she have taken out closet pervert Ebisu so easily?… with a frogs tongue!?


	50. Disciple Application!

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing…. Belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!**

Disciple Application!

Poking Ebisu in the temple a few times… Naruko finally concluded he was knocked out cold. Now who was gonna help her with her training?!

"You!" She pointed an accusing finger at the culprit who had caused this. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

The white haired weirdo smirked.

"I'm glad you asked! I am one of the great Sennin! Lady Jiraiya! Toad Sage!" She struck a provocative pose, looking to impress no doubt…

Naruko was completely furious "Hey you old bag! Why'd you do that?! This guy was suppose-to train me! Look at what you did to him!" to further prove her point, she roughly kicked the unconscious jonins leg in frustration, making him twitch.

Unaffected by her outburst, the Sennin flipped her hair to the side and looked down her nose at the young boy. "He tried to get in the way of my research!"

He gave her a confused look.

"I'm a writer~! And I'm currently working on my newest installment of my hit book. Here! I have one with me right now!" She reached into her oversized cleavage to hand the boy the book.

Naruko immediately recognized the filth she called 'literature'.

"YOU WRITE THAT?!"

She grinned in pride, her books were getting very famous!

"That's such a nasty book!" and that was it good mood... gone. "YEAH?! WELL WHAT DO YOU KNOW?! YOUR JUST AN ANNOYING BRAT!"

"Thanks to you and your perverted book I can't train!" once again he indicated towards the still unconscious Ebisu.

"Oh really? That's easy stuff, you want me to teach you?" Lady Jiraiya winked playfully. Not serious of course, she would be arrest for that!

The young boy disappeared in a poof of smoke and in his place stood a girl. Same eye's, and clothing. It was just her hair was slightly longer and flat, her build, and bone structure was much more feminine.

Naruko scowled at the woman. "You cradle robbing hag! I'm a girl!"

The older woman's playful expression turned sour. "You confusing brat! Don't call me a hag!"

"Alright than! Take some responsibility and overlook my training! You're my new sensei from now on!" she left no room for an argument. But what she hadn't expected was the toad summoner actually being as impulsive as her, or maybe more.

"NAH-UH! No way! I don't deal with annoying brats! Find yourself someone else!" losing all the sway in her walk, she turned to leave... apishly.

'Ah… Wait! You're uh… book! Was awesome! Best thing I ever read!" Naruko tried to persuade her, she seemed full of herself anyway.

"What do you take me for? An idiot!? this book isn't for anyone under the ages of eighteen! Nice try kid!"

"BUT YOU HAVE TO TEACH ME! YOU KNOCKED OUT MY TEACHER!" she was desperate now, the older woman only seemed pleased with herself.

"Tough luck kid! Bye!" in a whirl of leafs the busty woman was gone.

Throwing on her soaked jacket and sandals Naruko chased after the woman, ignoring all the stares of people she passed.

…

It didn't take Naruko long to find the woman she was looking for.

Lady Jiraiya was sitting at a booth in the closest Saki bar on the street. Naruko noticed her wandering eyes whenever a good looking waiter would walk past her. To draw even more attention to herself she leaned over as a waiter passed by and pinched him right on the hindquarters. The man squeaked and turned to her, blushing. She only smirked and gave the man a playful wink.

Naruko's smile twisted into a scowl, the old witch was a real cradle robber no doubt about it.

"Hey you old hag! I found you! I'm not leaving you alone unless you be my trainer got it?!"

Lady Jiraiya gave her an annoyed look before smirking. "You really want me to train you that badly?" she nodded her head furiously. "How about this… you do me a favour. And I'll train you? How about that? Sound like a good deal?"

Naruko's grin was practically glowing "Yes!"

"Okay… what I want you to do is find me a tall dark and handsome stud… With the right amount of muscle build, can't be too skinny, can't be too muscly. Got it?" Once again the young girl nodded her head. "Got it!"

The moment she had left two perfect images of what she had just described walked right into her view. "tough luck hun… Oh! Hello boy's! I'm new in town and was wondering if you could show me around!"

…..

It was sometime before the little blond girl came looking for the older woman.

Lady Jiraiya was by nature, a hopeless flirt.

"Hahaha well let me tell you hon! Drinking the- Oh! The heat!" Dramatically, she fell over into one of the men's arms. Pretending to come to, her eyes blinked up at the man who held her. A blush heavy on his face "Ah! I'm so sorry! The heat must've gotten to me-!"

"-HEY! YOU GUYS LEAVE THAT ELDERLY WOMAN ALONE!" Naruko kicked the man who wasn't holding lady Jiraiya.

"Granny you okay?! These guys aren't roughing you up are they?!" she could just wring this little idiot's neck right now.

"G-Granny?! You said you were 20! Yo! her granddaughters insane! Let's get outta here!" Both men ran away leaving a cloud of dust, and a proud Uzumaki girl.

"Ha! Cowards!"

Although unknown to her a killer's gaze bore holes into the back of her blond head. "Why you little…"

"Oh! About that handsome stud you wanted! I found one! Exactly to your description!" she quickly changed the subject.

Jiraiya immediately perked up "Really?! Well?! Where is he?! Where is he?!" she looked back and forth excitedly.

"Hang on once second! I'll get him for you!" she left the woman in a dreamy trance.

~One second later~

"This isn't what I meant by a tall handsome stud…" the white haired woman pushed the head of the horse away from her hair.

Naruko tilted her head to the side, confused. "Than what did you mean?!"

"FOOL! I WAS TALKING ABOUT A MAN! And not just any man! A handsome one! One who would hold you in his arms and send chills up and down your spine!" The toad sage hugged herself, swaying her hips at the thought. The horse beside her gave her a confused look.

"Oh! Well than why didn't you just say so?!"

_**-Sexy-Jutsu!-**_

Blood dribbled down her face at the sight before her. A half-naked shinobi dressed in only his black leather pants smirked down at the woman. His semi-long black spiky hair swayed softly in the leaf wind. Blue eyes sparked with a mischievious glint.

…. He was perfect.

"Wow! He just my type!" lady Jiraiya threw herself into the 'mans' well-toned muscle's and squealed in delight. The man gave Jiraiya a nervous smile, "Uh yeah… he's umm someone I made up on the spot."

"It's a deal I'll defiantly train you… only on one condition…" Naruko didn't like the sound of that. "and what would that be?"

"You have to be in that form at all times in my presence." She gave a cheeky grin.

Suddenly, and all too fast, the hunk of a man disappeared leaving a scowling pigtailed girl. "NOT HAPPENING! YOU CRADLE ROBBING HAG!"

~Later that night (back at the hot springs)~

"Okay! The first step to your training will be to observe your chakra control training so far! Show me what you got!" the youngest out of the two hugged herself self-consciously. She and the busty woman only wore two piece bikini's. Although Naruko was still happy she was wearing her short shorts, they offered a little bit coverage.

"Why can't I train in my normal clothes?!" she whined.

"It's better to train lightly and slowly work your way up to more weights… also I was getting sick of looking at that god awful orange jacket! Besides… you look soo adorable with a two piece!" Jiraiya pinched the girl's whiskered cheek.

Focusing chakra into the soles of her feet Naruko swayed back and forth on both feet before falling into the water, just like the last time. She thrashed in the water, slowly making her way back to land.

After that one observation Jiraiya immediately knew the problem, she was doing fine in supplying chakra… the problem was, that something was disrupting her natural flow of chakra.

"Hey, come here for a bit." Suspiciously, Naruko obeyed.

"Now, I want you to release your chakra again." She had done it without question. The toad sages eyes narrowed at the black sealing mark that formed on her taut stomach.

"_I knew it! This is Orochimaru's doing! A five palm seal… nothing to serious. I can easily unseal it"_

Hiding one hand behind her back the white haired woman gave Naruko a smile. "Okay, next thing I want you to do is raise your hands high in the air!" To demonstrate, Jiraiya also raised hers.

Once again she did as she was told.

_**~Five Palm Unseal!~**_

Naruko doubled over in pain at the unexpected punch in the stomach. Her breath was completely knocked out of her, but she still shouted at the sucker punching hag.

"What the hel-gasp!- was th-gasp!-that?!"

Giving her a completely 'I'm innocent' look Jiraiya giggled at her vicious expression. "Don't worry! I hit a pressure point so you could relax more! Trust me!"

"I GOT PUNCHED IN THE STOMACH!" there was no way she would ever forget this.

"Hahaha! I know, I know… just try walking on water again."

Next thing Naruko noticed, she was suddenly a pro at water walking. The old lady was defiantly a cougar, but she knew her stuff.

"W-Wow! I'm doing it! This is so cool!"

"See? What I tell you?" Jiraiya joined her on the water, suddenly becoming very serious.

"Tell me Naruko… have you ever felt another presence of chakra… inside you before?" She thought on this. There must have been only a few times when she felt the presence of 'that' chakra.

"…yeah, there was the time I was fighting Haku on the bridge and I thought… someone… had died…. and just recently, when I had gotten into a fight with a snake dude… I really thought I was gonna die than…"

So, the only way for the girl to tap into the nine-tails chakra is through intense overwhelming emotions. Jiraiya felt sympathy for the girl, she was a walking time bomb, if hit the right way.

"Naruko… you have two types of chakra, your stamina can rival that of any jonin's! And with all that unused chakra inside you… why let it waste? Also… taking time to learn chakra control requires a lot of mental energy which you don't have."

Naruko wasn't sure if she should be offended or happy.

"Starting tomorrow I'm going to teach you a new jutsu." The blond went into hyper mode, jumping and shouting uncontrollably. She didn't stop until Jiraiya had to smack her upside the head, reminding her how they weren't suppose to be at the hot springs after hours.

"But… until tomorrow morning comes…" The temper suddenly dropped (which was impossible in the hot springs) as Naruko recovered from yet another unexpected hit. A feeling of evil dread crawled across her skin at the smirk the old woman sported. "….You're doing suicides on the water! Until the sun comes up!"

"WHAT?!" Naruko had a feeling she just hired the she-devil herself to be her teacher… stupid, stupid girl.

~Meanwhile in another part of the village~

Gaara glared at the full moon as its rays danced across the slowly swaying unlit lanterns that were all placed in the curved body of an arching fish.

This village was much cooler, colourful… as were the people. Just as the thought of colour came up a single person flashed into his mind. Yellow hair, orange and blue jacket, blue eyes… why'd this one particular person stand out the most?

"-Do you not sleep? I was hoping you'd be sleeping… It would make things a lot easier on you."

The redhead immediately recognized him as one of the competitors in the Chunin exam.

"But I suppose it can't be helped. I'm here to kill you, that way I will be one step closer to fighting Sasuke Uchiha…" Gaara didn't answer him or acknowledge his presence, only narrowed his eyes more as the familiar feeling of blood lust clawing at the walls of his mind.

"I watched your match against the spandex freak… I wonder… is your sand faster than my sound?"

"…. 'He' gets blood thirsty during the full moon…" he finally spoke. Gaara turned to look at the intruder.

"W-What are you?!"


	51. The Host And Visitor!

**Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING…. STILL! Belong to Masashi Kishmoto!**

The Host And Visitor!

"THIS IS POINTLESS OLD WOMAN! IF I KEEP ON LIKE THIS I'LL DIE!" Naruko was amazed she even had enough strength to yell. Her legs were at the point where they felt like nothing but noodles, her breathing wasn't even anymore, and she was glad she was at the hot springs or people could've mistaken her for a sweating pig.

Jiraiya didn't answer her only give her that blank expression she's had on the entire night with those watchful eyes that never blink.

Suddenly, realization dawned on the Uzumaki girl. Crouching directly in front of the sitting woman Naruko waved her hand in her face a few times, snapping her fingers as well before coming to the conclusion.

"SHE'S SLEEPING?!" she shouted, effectively waking the woman with a jolt.

"Hey! Don't you know it's impolite to yell in someone's face!"

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT CRAP YOU LAZY OLD HAG! YOU'RE SUPPOSE TO BE WATCHING ME!"

Ignoring her student's idiotic outburst, Jiraiya simply yawned, stretched, got up and made her way towards the changing area, expecting the blond to follow after her. Once she noticed she wasn't coming the toad sage mustered an intimidating glare. "Well? Are you coming or what?" Jiraiya was so use to having people following her around like lost puppies she wasn't expecting the girl to refuse.

"No! I'm not going anywhere until you give me a reason!"

"It's time to learn that new jutsu I was talking about last night." She smirked at the wide eyed look the girl gave her.

"I-I'm coming!"

~One awkward time in the changing room later~

Naruko walked the streets of the leaf knowing full well of the stares that followed her. She was very self-conscious of her body, especially when she wore so little clothing. The only comfort she could find was the fact that no one she knew was out and about today.

But the reason for her embarrassment wasn't the stares… more like what they were staring at. During their time inside the changing room Jiraiya had found it funny to keep the girl walking in the two piece she had forced her to wear that night.

She wouldn't give the old lady the satisfaction by acting like a scared mouse in public. Instead Naruko held her head up high and walked a little more confidently, Her sensei noticed her change in demeanor and smiled. First step to being the student of Lady Jiraiya… don't be afraid of your own body. _"If you got it, flaunt it…"_

Unfortunately for Naruko, today Kiba and Shino decided to visit their female teammate in the hospital.

After hearing about Hinata's defeat at the preliminaries round Kiba had felt guilty for not being there for his teammate more. Especially since all he did was day dream that whole time about Naruko and their accidental kiss.

They walked side by side in silence, wasn't anything different. They usually never talked, only when things were less tense. And Shino was defiantly tense… he had known he wasn't unconscious during the exam battles… Kiba wasn't sure if he was mad or just annoyed. Either way Shino had a dislike for the dog lover at the moment.

Just when he had thought of something to say to the bug handler, Kiba's jaw dropped. His eye's wide in surprise. Shino stopped and looked to where he was looking.

Behind the crowds of people stood out one person, wearing short shorts and a orange bikini top. The girl walked confidently next to a bustier woman with longer white hair and a very revealing kimono.

Shino was speechless once he recognized the girl. His mind went completely blank.

"N-NARUKO?!" Kiba snapped back to reality.

Said girl stopped and gave the both of them shocked looks. Her face was suddenly covered in pink, almost spreading down to her neck. Just when she was about to turn around and book it for the crowd the woman that walked next to her laughed.

Naruko stopped once she heard the toad master laugh. She wasn't gonna give the woman the satisfaction!

Acting as if nothing had happened Naruko turned once again and gave both her ninja academy classmates her signature Uzumaki grin and waved. "Kiba! Shino! Long time no see!" she ran over to them. The canine user still had that same stupid dazed expression on his face. She swore if he started laughing at her she was gonna give him such a hit. "So? Where you two headed?"

"H-Hospital!" Kiba was, once again, the only one who spoke.

"Oh really! Off to visit Hinata? Well I won't waste any of your time! I'll see ya guys later." The white haired woman that followed behind, gave them both a teasing smirk as she walked on by.

Once they were finally out of ear shot Shino spoke up. "Naruko's a… girl…?" Kiba nodded his head numbly. "S-she…. Was wearing a… bikini…" it was a first time they had both seen the girl without her oversized orange jacket.

"Wonder how she would look in a beetle costume…" Shino mused. And just like that, Kiba's moment was ruined.

~15 day time skip~

"NO TALENT! THAT'S WHAT YOU ARE!" Jiraiya yelled. It had been 15 days since she had first shown her how to do the summoning jutsu and there had been little to no improvement since the beginning.

Her first attempt was understandably weak. But Jiraiya had actually thought she would be using the nine-tails chakra if she had wasted all of her normal chakra with the suicides. Instead, all she got was one pathetic attempt after another.

"I TOLD YOU TO RELEASE ALL THE CHAKRA IN YOUR BODY AS IF YOU WERE ABOUT TO DIE!" her patience was wearing thin.

"I'M TRYING MY BEST YOU OLD SHREW!" Naruko shouted back, finally sick of the criticism.

They gave one another vicious expressions.

"You haven't improved one bit since we've begun! So far you've come from tadpole, to tadpole with legs! Are you purposely trying to waste my time?!"

"Oh you're one to talk! You're so called 'training' grounds always involve finding a place where all the men gather! Just so you could show them how 'kind' and 'caring' you are to children!" Again, just like the day before, another shouting match broke out between the two hot headed females. For the last week and a half they've both been tense about Naruko's lack of improvement in training… but for some reason they always ended the same.

"Alright… that's enough for the day. I'm getting tired of shouting for the day." For once Naruko could agree with the old woman.

"Pfft! Fine!" they walked side by side down the empty streets of Konoha. Only one food stall illuminated the dim dirt roads. That one food stall being their destination.

"Ah! Naruko! Miso ramen today?!" Ichiraku greeted.

"Nah! I think today I'm going to spice things up a bit. Get me pork old man!" she hastily replied.

Jiraiya sat herself down on the uncomfortable stools, frowning slightly. The expression didn't get past Naruko. "What's up with you? Not enough eye candy today?"

The older woman just gave her a bored look. "We always seem to come here. Why?!" It was kind of a stupid question on her part. "Why?! Why?! Because they've got the best ramen ever consumed by man here! You ask why…"

Once her food was place in front of her Naruko had nothing more to say. Jiraiya was patting her stomach worriedly but a single glance at her happy student changed her mind. "Oh well… I suppose it's not all bad! Hey get the same for me as well!" It was an unconventional way to end an argument (also unhealthy), but both were happy and content with this way. Besides… they weren't good with apologies.

…

"Try it again!"

"I KNOW!"

Once again it was the same the very next day. Shouting always starts around 10 am. Whistling at men started around 12 pm… but today Jiraiya would make sure it's a different routine.

~Not too far away~

Gaara watched as the two females continued to train. There wasn't anything very special about the loud girl, besides her appearance. But other than that… she had no talent in the ninja arts. It surprised him she had even passed the first preliminaries.

He could tell by the slouch in her back she was on the verge of passing out. It was almost pathetic to watch.

Sooner than he expected she collapsed. "…pathetic…" He mumbled under his breath.

Before he turned to leave, the older woman stared up in his direction. A cold expression was settled onto her face. It wasn't possible… she could see him from here?!

Shocked, he watched as the woman picked up her student and carried her away into the forest. The look she had given him before she disappeared into the forest told him to not follow… it was possible she had known about him for the-passed few days.

If that was the case, he had to leave as soon as possible.

~Deep into the forest~

Jiraiya had finally come to her destination. Uncaringly she threw the small girl off her shoulder and crouched down to her level.

"Wh-what the hell?... Where… am I?" The Uzumaki girl looked up at the toad sage for answers but only found a blank face.

In a demanding and cold voice Jiraiya spoke threateningly. "I've had enough… the training ends today. If you don't want to die than figure it out yourself…"

Naruko jumped to her feet once she heard the last sentence. "What?! But you said you would-!"

Before she could finish her sentence, she was pushed in the stomach backwards. To her dread, she didn't hit the ground right away. Instead Naruko looked upwards, which was downwards to the toad sage. She pushed her off a cliff!

The breath was sucked out of her the more she fell. Too shocked to even scream, Naruko watched helplessly as the darkness consumed everything around her. Only one thing ran through her mind _"I'm going to die!"_

Unexpectedly her heart raced as the adrenalin finally kicked in, she noticed a jagged edge of rock sticking out of the side of the cliff. An idea popped into her head as soon as she saw it. Gathering chakra into her hands and feet she waited for the edge to come near so she could grab on. Just as she gripped the ledge her hands slipped, as if the entire pit was covered in oil.

Naruko felt hopeless as she continued to descend.

"_I REFUSE TO DIE!"_

Her head pounded in a light headache. She was kneeling in water for some reason... Getting up to look around she was inside a long hallway. Random cable's hung off the ceiling as the grey concrete walls were cracked in many different places. Just where was she?

Suddenly, a low growling shifted the water around her feet. That's when she found herself in front of a large golden dark gate. The only thing keeping it closed was a written paper seal.

"_**So…"**_ a terrible feeling ran up her spine at the deep bloodcurdling voice._**"…My little host has finally come to pay a visit…"**_

Naruko looked side to side to find the owner of the voice. _**"In front of you child…"**_ it had came from the giant gates. Cautiously, she walked towards the gates careful not to let her guard down. Just when she was about to touch to gate, giant claws raked downwards against the bars.

"_**I would eat you... If not for this damn seal…!"**_ it growled angrily.

Naruko recovered from the sudden attack and was taking shallow breaths… mostly induced by fear. _"It's huge!"_ Than realization hit her like a ton of bricks, where she was… what this was. "Y-you're…Nine-tails…!" _"I get it now! The second chakra was him!"_

"_**For you to come here… what do you want…?"**_ he was not something to be messed with… than again Naruko wasn't someone you can't count on caring about things like that.

She quickly shook off her fear and smirked.

"Hey! You stupid fox! I've had enough of your freeloading! If you wanna live in my body, you've better start giving me your chakra!"

There was a long stretch of silence before the fox's laughter shook the whole room.

"_**GWAHAHAHA! If you die, I die. Is that it?! You've got some guts little girl!"**_ his laughter didn't sound amused… only sinister.

"…_**Since you've come this far, here!"**_

Naruko panicked as a swirl of red and black engulfed the lower half of her body, slowly making its way up to the rest of her.

Her blue eyes blinked at as she was brought back to the real world. She felt energized, that same feeling she had felt when she was fighting Haku on the bridge. As quick as lightning Naruko bit the tip of her thumb, easily drawing blood, and made the correct hand signs.

_**Summoning Jutsu!**_

The smoke quickly cleared, revealing a lumpy hard surface. Just to make sure she didn't screw up Naruko checked the end of the giant thing for a tail. Relieved, she laughed in happiness. "I DID IT! I DID THE SUMMONING JUTSU!"

…

Lady Jiraiya smiled once Naruko had finally did the summoning right… only one concern bothering her.

"_Gamabunta… out of all the other possibilities she summoned him…"_ in a mad sprint Jiraiya ditched the area trying to get as much distance as she can between that toad and herself. _"Sorry hun! You summoned him, you deal with him!"_

Naruko had no idea who, or what! she had summoned.


	52. Sudden Intruder!

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!**

Sudden Intruder!

"HEY YOU LIL IDIOT! GET OFF MY HEAD! WHERE'S JIRAIYA!" The giant toad she sat on demanded.

Naruko's exhausted tired eyes desperately tried to stay open as she looked down the mouth of the gigantic toad. _"S-scary! I can't believe I summoned this thing!"_

"Where's Jiraiya!? I'm gonna give her such a hit once I find that harlot!" he continued to yell.

"Jiraiya?!... well, no…. you see… I summoned you.. I thought you could help…" she scratched the back of her head nervously, The toad's eyes widen in surprise. "You?! You summoned me?!" she nodded her head furiously "Yes!"

"GAHAHAHA! You shouldn't lie like that little girl! HAHAHA There's no way a small fry like you could summon me!" His laughter echoed off the walls. Naruko glared at the hysterical toad. She never liked to be laughed at. "SHUT UP YOU OVER GROWN TADPOLE! I SUMMONED YOU, SO I'M YOU MASTER GOT THAT?!" She almost regretted the words once they had flown out of her mouth… almost.

"JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! NO ONE IS THE MASTER OF BOSS TOAD GAMABUNTA!" he angrily shouted.

She slipped from his head down to his nose. Instead of giving into her fear, she stood to her full height (which wasn't very tall) and glared into the eye of the toad. "I SUMMONED YOU I EXPECT YOU TO GIVE ME SOME RESPECT!"

They gave one another menacing glares.

~In a different part of Konoha~

Shikamaru thought it was just going to be a normal day just like always. To be honest, without Naruko or the rest of his graduating he was kind of bored. Not like he didn't like the calm peacefulness when they were gone… everything just seemed a lot less colourful without any of them around.

Especially with Naruko gone.

Today this mother had him training in the forest. But instead he settled for a well-deserved nap. Just as he rested his head onto the nice soft grass, a drumming in the distance kept disturbing his sleep. Irritated, he sat up to look around and pinpoint the disruption. He immediately noticed the noise was getting louder, REALLY loud!

Just as he turned behind him from where the sound was the most loudest, Shikamaru had to stop himself from screaming. On a survival reflex he bolted from the area and climbed to the tallest tree there was. It looked like a…. toad?! And not only that, there was something on its head flailing around like a rag doll. As the giant toad grew closer he recognized the ragdoll as Naruko.

"AAHHHHH! HI SHIKAMARU! AHHHHHH…!"

Shikamaru shook his head in disbelief. "…What… the hell was that…?"

~Three day time skip~

Naruko pried her eye's open, immediately regretted it once the sun had hit her eyes.

"Hey… finally awake."

Looking at the person who spoke she found Shikamaru sitting on a chair reading a book. He smirked at her. "…Where am I…?" she tiredly asked. "The hospital! You've been asleep for the past three day's."

She gave him a confused look. "Why am I here? Why are you here?"

"I'm not really sure but… you were riding a giant toad and was brought here. I'm here to come and see Choji.." he pulled up a basket of fruits. "… to give him this. But the doctor said I wasn't allowed to, so I came here to see if you wanted to share them. I hate to let good food go to waste."

He noticed her look of worry and brushed it off. "Don't worry, Choji got injured because he ate too much after his battle, yeah really hurt his stomach."

"Hahahaha! That sounds just like him!" she let out a joyful laugh. The sound of her laughter was always genuine, even if she was in a hospital bed… she sounded completely happy.

"Besides the both of you aren't the type to have boys and girls coming to visit you in the hospital." His comment made her grin. "Yeah! Me and Choji have to share you!" some reason that comment made him blush. Pushing the basket into her lap he avoided her big eyed gaze. "You idiot! I just felt sorry for the both of you…"

He looked up when she didn't say anything, the look of pure mischief sparkling in narrowed her eyes. "Hey! We should totally eat these in front of Choji!"

"That's so evil… I like it..!"

~In Lee's room~

The taijutsu user slept peacefully in his bed, he deserved all the rest he gets.

…But a loner figure stood in the corner of his room watching him with hunger eyes. The figure bent forward in pain, clutching his head. Wobbling over he stood directly beside Lee's bed side, his hand hung directly over his face. Swirls of sand engulfed his lower half, slowly making its way upwards.

Gaara almost completely submerged him in sand when his body tensed. His eyes snapped open in shock.

In a moments flash he was knocked away from the resting Lee.

"Hey.. Naruko… while I've got him in my shadow possession jutsu I can feel everything physical that happens to him. So when you punched him, you also punched me!"

"heheh… sorry Shikamaru!" the hyper voice called to the bored.

Gaara immediately recognized the girl as Naruko Uzumaki… and the other was just another face in the upcoming Chunin exam. Her hair was free of the two pony tails that were held in her hair, giving her a more innocent look. She stood in an oversized black T-shirt, her beige shorts were barely seen under the enourmous shirt, it could've been passed off as a dress. Her whiskered face twisted into a scowl. "What the hell were you trying to do to bushy brows?!"

Her gave her a menacing glare. "I was going to kill him…" did he sound bored?!

"What?!" both leaf genin said at the same time. Their expressions exactly the same, horrified. "Why?! You won you're fight against him! You have a grudge against him or something?" Shikamaru wanted to know the reason.

The sand ninja just gave him that same expression. "I hold no hate towards him…. I was going to kill him… just because I wanted to."

"What the hell's that shit about?! That's not a reason to kill someone you wacko!" she declared.

His eye's narrowed at her. "If you get in my way… I'll kill you too."

"Go ahead and try!" Shikamaru had to stop this stupid girl before she actually gets herself killed. He could tell just by looking at the guy, he wasn't playing around. "Naruko stop it!" he refocused on Gaara. "we know you're pretty strong… but we're not too bad ourselves. We didn't even show our 'special moves' in the prelims. It's two on one kid, you're at a disadvantage… me and my friend here will spare you if you leave quietly" He lied.

Shikamaru hoped he would fall for his bluff.

The boy was unfazed by his hallow words. "I'll say it again… get in my way and I'll kill you."

"I'm gonna be hokage! I won't be killed by the likes of you!" the taller boy used one arm to push the girl back. He had finally lost his cool and was now worried for the both of them. "You idiot! I told you to stop! Can't you see the look in his eyes?! Their like a monsters!" She pushed him off her and smirked.

"Who cares?! I've got the real monster inside me… and there's no way I would lose to the likes of him!" There was that familiar look in her eyes. Gaara could see just by looking into her eye's she was telling the truth.

"Then…. We are the same…" Shikamaru gave the boy his full attention. "The monster in me is as real as yours." Her blue eyes widened in realization.

He continued. "I was born a monster… taking the life of the woman I would've called mother. I was born into this world for one purpose… to becoming the ultimate shinobi." The look in his eye's didn't change as he talked.

"…a demon called Shukaku was sealed into me while I was still in the belly of the woman who carried me."

Shikamaru cracked a nervous smirk, hopefully he could appeal to the guys kindness. "That's an awfully strange expression of love."

"Love..?" the word somehow sounded bitter coming out of his mouth. "…Don't compare me to you… to me, family are nothing but pieces of meat, connected to me through hatred and murderous intent." There was absolutely no emotion in his words. "By the sacrifice of my mother's life I was created as the village's greatest masterpiece. As Kazekage's son. My father taught me the shinobi way's… I was spoiled and allowed to do as I please….. for a long time I thought that was love… until that incident occurred."

There was a long stretch of silence as both leaf genin waited for him to tell. "What incident?" Naruko questioned.

A creepy smile slithered its way onto his face. "For the last 6 years from when I was 6 years old… my father has tried countless times to assassinate me!" The expression on his face was that of pure joy and hatred.

"Ha! But you just said your father spoiled you and let you do whatever you wanted!" the boy in the ponytail was really starting to get under his skin.

"When one individual is too strong there's also the constant feeling of fear… I was unstable, everyone in the village feared what they could not control… to my father I was the villages greatest weapon, also its greatest enemy…. By the time I had turned six I was deemed too dangerous for the village, to them I was simply a regret they wished they could get rid of… questions plagued me why do I exsist? Why am I alive? No one could answer these questions for me. But living without a purpose… you may as well be dead."

"What's he… talking about?" Shikamaru didn't understand a single word he was saying, but as a precaution not once did he take his eyes off him.

"…I.. I can understand…" Naruko was scared of how similar they both were to one another.

"Then I came to the conclusion… 'I exist to kill everyone besides myself.' I had finally found relief within the fear of death, of knowing when someone would try to assassinate me... By killing the assassins I understood the reason to continue living…" as he spoke, Naruko couldn't help but finally understand the kanji on his forehead. "… fighting only for yourself, living only to love oneself. If you think that everyone else simply exists for the sake of making you feel alive… there is no better feeling. As long as there are people in the world for me to kill and continue to feel that joy of living… my existence will not vanish."

He sounded so selfish. But at the same time Naruko felt the same way, she could understand that feeling of not having a purpose. Her heart pounded a mile a minute, sweat beaded down the side of her face, fear gripped her entire being.

"_we're two different people… but at the same time exactly the same That was why he seemed so familiar to me! … I was alone, same as him. I couldn't find a reason to live and was in pain as well…. But I had master Iruka who acknowledged my existence… I finally knew what it meant to be alive all because of him!..." _her body started to shake once a thought crawled into her mind. _"But… him… he continued to be alone… and experienced what it meant to be alive by killing people…. Right now, I could've been him!"_

She walked backwards away from him. Shikamaru noticed her retreat and looked back at her with a questioning expression. "What's wrong, Naruko…?!" for a split second he forgot about holding the jutsu, the blond girls sudden behavior catching him off guard. And in that short amount of time Gaara pulled himself away from the hold, a wall of sand built up behind him. "Now! Let me feel it!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" all three looked in the direction of the person who had yelled.

Gai sensei stood in the doorway, staring blankly at each of them. But his attention was more focused on the red headed boy standing next to his student.

"The finals are in a few days… don't get antsy. Or do you want to stay in this hospital for the rest of your life?" Both leaf genin had never heard the usually upbeat Gai make a threat, and somehow it was very intimidating... even if they weren't the one's being threatened.

Gaara clutched the right side of his head in pain once he saw the father figured man. To Naruko and Shikamaru's relief he walked past all three of them. But not before stopping in the doorway glaring back at all of them.

"I'll kill you all… just wait…"

For a split moment Naruko and his eye's met. A frightened chill ran up her spine as he continued to walk out. At that was heard were sound of his ninja sandals taping softly down the hall. Once they couldn't hear the sounds of his shoes Naruko and Shikamaru let out breath's they didn't know they were holding.

That Gaara guy… was seriously scary.

…...

Today was the final's… and Naruko wasn't feeling very… Naruko.

She passed many stores, usually she would glance in their directions to see if they sold anything new. Today wasn't a very good day to window shop. The streets were bustling with business, old man Ichiraku must've been getting a lot of customers today.

Who was she trying to fool…? She was nervous out of her wits. Her first opponent was Neji Hyuga. It was a first time she ever doubted herself. How was she expected to even beat Neji?!

Before she realized it she found herself where it all began. The training grounds was where she had first become a shinobi. But, she was still nervous… coming here didn't help her at all. "N-Naruko?"

"Hinata?! You're out of the hospital!" she sounded surprised.

The shy Hyuga girl gave her a bashful look. "Uh… yeah. I'm fine now!" her hands were intertwined together in front of her, in that shy habit she always did. That's when she the bandages, they ran up her neck and down to her wrists. She tried her best to hide them from her blond friend but it was too late, she seen them.

"He's really strong… isn't he?"

"Y…yeah…"

Naruko looked down at the ground, suddenly not feeling to good.

"Naruko…umm, C-can I ask something… of you…?" Plastering on a fake grin she nodded her head. "Uh… I know it's a strange request… b-but, could you please..take it easy on Neji?"

The whiskered girl was so surprised she couldn't help but laugh. Even after all that he had done to her, Hinata still asked mercy for her attacker. She wished she could be more like her. Wiping off a stray tear from her face Naruko grinned. "Hahaha! I don't know if I could promise anything but… don't worry Hinata! I'll try and make his beating as painless as possible!" the girl sighed in relief. "G-Good…"

Naruko said her thanks and left the girl behind. Hinata watched her back as she got smaller and smaller out of sight. _"I'm glad I could help Naruko…"_ she smiled.


	53. A Proud Failure!

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! Belong to Masashi Kishimoto!**

A Proud Failure!

Naruko had no idea **how**! But she was late… she could practically see Sakura's annoyed expression and Sasuke's mocking smirk. With a renewed vigor she was sprinting at top speed. Never again shall she succumb to the temptations of seeing a monkey on a tiny unicycle. Never again!

The passing of time is all she felt as she skimmed over the streets.

Five more minutes before they close the gates.

Up ahead, a small green and blue figure jumped up and down eagerly. "Naruko! Naruko! Follow me I know a short cut!" suppose he already knew of her dilemma. Turning a sharp corner to follow him she was met with a tackle to her side. Both Konohamaru and Naruko fell into a bush close to wooden fence. She found herself being hugged uncomfortably tight by the boy as they fell downwards… how come she had never noticed this slide here before?

Four more minutes…

The blond girl struggled against the clingy boy's hold on her waist. "Arrhh! Konohamaru, let go! I'm gonna be late!" He let go with a pout but it was quickly replaced with a smile. "Don't worry about it babe! I got you a ride!" Ignoring the babe comment she brightened. "Really?! Well let's hurry up, I have to get there in… Three minutes?!" She looked about ready to pull her hair out from the roots.

The boy pushed her towards an unseen bull and handed her a red flag. Spinning her in the direction of the hokage tower he quickly moved out of the way as Moogie removed the beasts blindfold.

The bull looked around dazed until it saw the red flag Naruko held in her hand. The blond herself heard the footsteps of the animal and immediately looked back to see what it was.

"WHAT THE HELL-?!" she was carried off in a flail of arms and dust.

The three children watched the hysterically screaming Uzumaki be carried off by the raging bull.

"Hey Konohamaru? Didn't you say she was gonna be your wife?" Moogie asked. The boy pulled a big grin and replied. "Yeah! but I don't want a wimpy future wife! These are just exercises to help her grow stronger!" both of his teammates looked on in awe.

…

Naruko was scared and happy at the same time. The arena was just up ahead, the screams of people were drowned out by the stomping of the bulls rushing feet, and the whizzing of wind in her ears.

"_I'm actually gonna make it!"_ She cheered in her head.

But as the doors of the arena got closer to her a new problem occurred to her. "CRAP! HOW DO I STOP THIS THING?!"

…

Sakura looked down at the 6 candidates with worry. Both of her teammates were nowhere to be seen. Even Shikamaru came, a bit reluctantly, but he came. She tried to get up to go and search for her missing teammates when a hand grabbed her.

"Geez Sakura have a little faith in your team… they'll show up." Ino smirked.

"AHHH!"

She recognized that voice. Turning around Sakura beamed with happiness. Naruko had shown up! …. But Sasuke still hadn't.

…

The blond finally skidded to a stop in the middle of semi-circle made by the candidates and the white haired proctor.

She smiled in embarrassment. "hehehe…. Uhh… I made it!"

Shikamaru both shook his head and smiled. _"Leave it to her to make a fool of herself in the middle of something important."_

…

Kiba and Hinata found a spot in the stands next to a couple of jonin who looked awfully familiar. The two teammates watched and waited for the match to begin. But they couldn't help over hear the conversation the two jonins had with one another.

"So you think the Uzumaki girl has a chance?" the one with bandages across his nose asked. "You kidding me? She's up against a Hyuga! She has no chance at all… I kinda pity her."

Kiba smirked at this. _"I underestimated her… I paid for it. Naruko's not someone you should doubt"_

"We will now begin the first battle in the Chunin exams!..." all seven teens looked on, determination in their eyes. "The first two fighters will be… Hyuga Neji and Uzumaki Naruko! We would now ask for the other competitors to please leave the area! And gather to the second gallery"

Naruko stood across from the indifferent boy, glaring. She could tell by the bored expression on his face he didn't find her a challenge… she would prove him wrong. Judging from his and Hinata's fight in the preliminary rounds, close combat wouldn't be very affective. She was going to have to fight from a distance.

"Match… start!" the proctor walked off to the side.

_**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**_

Four Uzumaki's appeared holding kunai in their right hands, the real one stood behind her wall of clones.

Neji examined each of them with his byakugan as they prepared to attack. _"heh… she's divided her chakra evenly amongst all of them… but in the end there's only one."_

The two clones rushed him, their kunai at their sides for a weapon attack. Unfazed, Neji leaped over both of the clones using both of their heads as leverage so he could push off and do another flip. Just than as he was about to land, the other two clones charged, hoping to get him before he touched ground. But to their surprise, he spun mid-air kicking both clones away from him. The other two were at his back just about to hit, when he suddenly pulled both of their hands forward along with them. Thrusting both elbows backwards, both clones were hit in the chin. Spinning on his left foot he pushed both his hands into their stomachs, sending a surge of chakra into the palms of his hands both attackers were blown away.

One-by-one the clones disappeared in poofs of smoke, leaving the original standing in the middle, glaring dangerously at him. He only seemed to smirk in amusement. "…Become Hokage… eh? It's impossible for someone like you. I can see with these eye's…. talent is decided at birth. You could say that everything is decided when a person is born."

She was getting tired of hearing him talk. "WHY THE HELL DO YOU ASSUME THINGS LIKE THAT!?"

"…You think that anyone can become the hokage through hardwork? Only a handful of shinobi are chosen to be hokage." He was now glaring at her with those eye's "Get real… those that become hokage are born into it by destiny. Not because of trying… the only real destiny that every single person shares… is death…"

The look of determination consumed her face again. "So what!?" throwing a hand sign up, chakra coursed through her. "I don't believe in destiny!"

_**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**_

A many number of the blond girl appeared in one big burst of smoke. Neji tilted his head to the side in confusion. "I told you, I'm not stupid. I can already see through your attacks" "And I told you to stop assuming things!" was her angered comeback.

All of the clones were swinging at him. Neji merely moved out of range every time he seen an attack.

Running through the crowd of Uzumaki's he narrowed in on one in particular. _"I told you… I'm not stupid. I already know where the true body is..."_ This one stood out from the rest, as if to avoid getting too close to the gentle fist user. The singled out Uzumaki gave a look of shock before she was struck in the heart by Neji's deadly digits.

"That's why I told you it was useless…" he whispered.

"…That's why…" blood spilled from her mouth onto the ground. "… I told you not to assume things" she gave him a bloody grin before exploding in a cloud of smoke.

"What!?" Neji immediately turned around. Two blond were mid-air, fist's pulled back, teeth bared about to strike.

Kiba jumped up from his sit and cheered "YEAH! GO NARUKO!" Akamaru still atop his head. The girl beside him looked on in worry, hoping her cousin wouldn't be too badly hurt.

"I'M COMING AT YOU WITH EVERYTHING I'VE GOT! SO GET READY YOU RIGHTEOUS BASTERD!"

Just as her fist made contact, an unknown force made her freeze. Neji smirked mockingly at after before he was consumed in a swirl of blue chakra. Bending in his stance he turned on one foot, the action sent the chakra outwards, repelling both real and clone Naruko away from him.

Hiashi narrowed his eyes. The move he had just done was a move only exclusive to the main Hyuga family members.

"Father! Isn't that you're…?" His youngest daughter asked.

"…Rotation…"

Once again, she was back to just one of her. Naruko sat up on ground grunting, and wiping the blood across her chin. _"What… the hell was that?!"_ The moment Neji had taken a new stance she was on her feet ready for any attack.

Once again Hiashi recognized the stance. Disbelief written in his facial expression "…how…_could he have learned these jutsu's all on his own… brother surely he is a genius…" _

"The match will be over after the next attack… you're in range of my 8 trigrams. It would be wise to give up now."

"Ha! Yeah right! I can take whatever you throw at me!" she bellowed proudly. "…very well…" He jumped from her sight, disappearing in a blur.

Hinata coughed, ignoring the pain that shot through her. _"No… Neji…"_

"Eight trigrams, two palms!" Naruko felt the first two attacks clearly in her stomach and upper chest. "Four palms!" his hands moved more quickly. "Eight palms! Sixteen palms! Thirty-two palms!" she wasn't even feeling his hands hitting her body, just the surges of chakra bursting through her in small portions. "Sixty-four palms!" her limp form flew backwards.

Landing in a heap, Naruko groaned in pain. Neji stood, byakugan still activated, glaring down at the girl. "Is it painful? Once a failure always a failure… you cannot change your destiny. Thinking you're dream will come true through hard work… is childish" the girl raised her head to give him a menacing look.

Hinata's cough's only got worse as she continued to watch the match. Her teammate beside her gave her a look of concern. "Hey Hinata are you alright?!" ignoring him her heart went out to her dear cousin. _"Hgn!..… N…Neji…"_

Sakura flinched, of course Naruko couldn't stand up against a strong opponent like Neji. Her childhood friend beside her sighed. "Yeah… I kinda figured this would happen. Poor girl…"

Naruko lay face down in the dirt, thinking about all the people who had come before her. why did she get the privilege to lay down and accept her fate? Hinata and Lee were the one's didn't lay down and accept defeat. Why should she?

Ever slowly, her feet pushed off the ground, her arms wrapped around her abdominal in pain. She wasn't going be the weaker one out of everyone. She won't accept her destiny, she just plain didn't want it.

The Hyuga boy's eye's widened, "Quit already… continuing won't change anything. I have no grudge against you.."

"WELL… I DO!"

He grew confused. "What do you mean?"

Every breath was a challenge as she tried to say the words. "Why… Why, if you're so strong… did you mentally attack Hinata, who was desperately trying to win your approval!" his eye's narrowed in a fierce expression. Only one a Hyuga could make.

"That's none of your business."

"Insulting Hinata... saying she's a loser… main family… branch family… I don't know what the hell happened but.." sweat rolled down the side of her face as she struggled to continue. "… Righteous bastards like you who call other people losers, make me sick!"

He chuckled slightly, "alright…if you're gonna go that far than I'll tell you… The Hyuga destiny of hatred."

Hinata's coughing had gotten so worse that blood had started coming up. _"Please….. Neji… No, no more!"_

"The damage from you're fight hasn't healed yet…!" Kiba immediately noticed. She didn't answer only continue to cough. The two jonin beside them were now worried as well. "Hey, what's wrong?!"

"I'll take a look at her…" an unknown voice suggested. Wiping his head in the direction of the voice the brown haired teen found the same suspicious anbu. "Who are you?" "No one suspicious."

They took the barely conscious girl and placed her flat on her back at the top of the stands away from front row. Kiba bit his lower lip in worry, _"Naruko… win your fight against Neji… Hinata please be okay."_

"A curse seal jutsu?" the blond questioned automatically. Barely getting what he was even saying. "…It's a mark that symbolizes 'a bird in a cage'…. Being tied down to an inescapable destiny." removing his leaf headband, revealing a green intricate marking on his head. Neji stood showing no emotion on his face, but Naruko couldn't help but notice the sadness in his eyes.

"One day when I was four… I had this curse seal jutsu carved into my forehead, forever caging me to the main family. And on that particular day a grand celebration was taking place in the leaf. Cloud country and the leaf, after many years of warring, had finally signed an alliance… but at this ceremony which everyone attended. One clan was missing… the Hyuga clan. Because that was the important day the Hyuga heir had turned three."

Her ocean blue eyes went wide.

He looked up into the stands, as if looking at someone in particular. "Hinata's father, Hiashi, is head of the main family… while my father, Hizashi Hyuga, became a member of the branch family."

~flashback~

"The young Lady Hinata is already three… congradulations." Hizashi commented. "yeah…"

Little Neji paid no attention to the adults awkward conversation as he gave the girl a friendly smile. First she fled behind her father, feeling protected, she gave him a shy smile. A blush played on both of their faces.

"Isn't she cute father?" he referred to the shy girl who was hiding behind her stone of a father. His own father gave the young boy a sadden expression. Noticing his distraught Neji questioned him. "… What's wrong, father?"

He didn't answer him.

"Hizashi… I think it's time I took Neji now…" obediently the man agreed. "…yes"

Father and daughter danced around each other in training. While father and son watched from the sidelines.

"Listen Neji, you will live and protect lady Hinata." The eager boy quickly nodded his head, watching the training intently, a smile and a blush gracing his childish features. "Yes father!" Hizashi stared at his son's wrapping around his forehead, feeling very poorly about them.

An over-whelming surge of anger coursed through him as he stared at the heir to the Hyuga clan.

The other adult Hyuga quickly sensed the mans killing intent. Stepping in front of his daughter, Hiashi made a handsign with one hand and closed his eyes.

In a matter of seconds Neji's father was on the ground clutching his head in pain. The boy was at his side, clueless. "Father! Whats wrong?!" he removed his headband to relief some tension. Veins popped up around the marking on his forehead. He was in excruciating pain. And his son could only watch hopelessly. "Father!"

"Take your father home. I'll forgive him only this once."

~end flashback~

"Than that incident occurred…" Naruko didn't know if she wanted to hear anymore. Having your freedom virtually ripped from you at a young age was sad. But she pressed on and listened to his problems. "incident…?"

"The day the main family killed my father." She could swear the entire stadium was dead in silence. "One night Hinata was taken out of her room. Hiashi was quick to kill the intruder… could you guess who was under that mask?... the cloud shinobi who had just signed an alliance treaty with the leaf."

From the stands Hiashi looked unremorseful.

"It became clear that he was after the secret to the byakugan… but with a cloud leader killed the cloud had made demands of the leaf for breaking the alliance. Of course they bickered back and forth. But with the leaf want to avoid war, they had made a backdoor deal with the cloud… they wanted the corpse of Hiashi Hyuga, so they could figure out to unlocking the secret to the byakugan. The leaf agreed."

Hanabi looked questioningly at her completely alive father beside her.

"and war was safely avoided… thanks to my dad who was killed by the main family to replace Hiashi's corpse." Naruko looked down, it was sick what people go through. "The only way to escape the curse… is death…. They were identical in every possible way. But, because one was born just a few moments earlier than the other, destiny was decided by that. And this fight… your destiny was decided the moment I became your opponent." The look in his pupiless eyes showed his true character. Someone who holds true to his beliefs… But they were based on a childish point-of-view.

"Well we won't know until it's over!" she watched him rearrange his headband, fully hiding the mark of all eyes. "I don't how much it hurt when your dad was killed a long time ago, but… thinking that destiny is all decided because of that is really immature!" The Hyuga boy glared "…Your hopeless." he vanished, appearing directly in front of her. Using the gentle fist he made a weak hit for her heart, the impact of the hit sending her flying a couple of feet away. "Examiner… it's over."

"I told you… once a failure, always a failure… there's no changing your destiny." he turned to walk away from the quiver pile that was the Uzumaki.

"D…don't run away, coward!" shakily, she stood. Her entire body looked as if it was running on will alone. "… I… never go back… on my ninja way…" Neji's pupiless eyes stared blankly at her, he knew where lady Hinata had gotten that saying now. "There's… no way I'll lose to a crybaby.. who's always whining about destiny." her mouth full of blood stained her teeth, but she still gave him her best mocking grin.

"An ignorant brat like you shouldn't be lecturing. People are burdened with a destiny they cannot oppose. YOU COULD NEVER UNDERSTAND WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE BURDENED WITH A SYMBOL YOU COULD NEVER RID YOUSELF OF!" it had seemed he finally lost his cool.

But instead of usually calling him out on it, Naruko remained silent, aside from her shallow breaths. **"Look! There she is!"**

"**I told you not to go near her! that girl is a monster!"**

"**Freak!"**

She knew all to well on that pain. Having a mark that defines you, everyone seeing nothing but that mark…. it hurt a lot. "yeah… I can relate" he was stunned by her words. "and?... so what?" his byakugan reactivated. "Pft…! Stop acting cool… you're not the only one that's special…Hinata's suffering as much as you! O member of the main family… but not noticed, trying her best to change… to get you, of all people to acknowledge her strength! You're the same! The branch family is suppose-to protect the main family! Not beat'em to a bloody pulp!"

"… You and Hinata have the same destiny-" "-SHUT UP! STOP SPOUTING THAT DESTINY CRAP AS IF YOU KNOW EVERYONE'S JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE BYAKUGAN!" she was finally sick of his talking. "Then prove it to me…"

"YOU ! I'M GOING TO ASS YOUR ASS… AND PROVE THAT!" she said it confidently but her body was on the absolute brink of falling over from exhaustion. All of her chakra points had been closed off leaving her burnt out.

"**You have two types of chakra inside you…"** Lady Jiraiya's voice echoed through her head. Naruko closed her eyes in concentration. _Stupid fox! Lend me your stupid power…!_

"Proctor if you wish to save her life I suggest you stop the match right now…" He smirked at her fain attempt to gather chakra. "It's useless. I've closed off all of your chakra ways." She merely ignored him.

"Hm… tell me one thing than… why do you try so desperately to go against your destiny?" her crystal blue eyes snapped open and glared. "Because… I was called a failure!" The cuts and bruises on her face sizzled away, leaving no marks as if she was untouched to begin with.

Neji activated his byakugan and was taken back by the sight. This girl, who he had attacked with full force and completely closed off all chakra passages in her body… was somehow reopening every single one of them, with a foreign chakra.

He looked much closer and took a frightful step backwards. _"I…It's taking the head of a… animal?!"_

Immense bursts of red chakra shot out from her back, resembling long wipes of tails. She was standing with a look of defiance in her eyes. "Here I come!"

Naruko liked the feel of this power, it was much more… uncontrolled.

With a crack of her neck she disappeared, reappearing in the sky directly behind him. She rained down a storm of weapons. He was quick to do his Rotation, and grab a couple of stray shuriken, throwing them back at the blond while she was still air-born. But unfortunately all six weapons sunk themselves into the concert wall behind Naruko used to be.

"_Her speeds increased?!"_

Sensing the girl to his left he found her preparing to throw a kunai, at precisely the right time, Neji chucked a kunai of his own. Owners of the weapons followed shortly afterwards, and just like their kunai knives they knocked one another back.

Neji was slightly frazzled by the sudden turn of events but was still determined to win. "You're confident in close combat right?!" the girl mocked.

Their blood pumped with adrenaline. And all Naruko could think about was the destiny crap he was saying about how people couldn't change. How she could never become the hokage. Annoyance built up in her. "I don't know about this Hyuga hatred or whatever… but if it's too much for you. Then you don't have to do anything anymore.

"... ro-tat-ion…" panicked. he went into his ultimate defence.

"WHEN I'M HOKAGE… I'LL CHANGE THE HYUGA WAY!" in a clash of blue meeting red an explosion of purple consumed half the arena. Two black blurs shot out from the gust of smoke making two small craters hole's big enough to fit a person.

"W…which one is Naruko!?" Sakura asked Ino, who only shook her head. "I have no idea…" they both bit their bits in worry.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, a hand shot out of the ground. Neji's carried himself out of the human sized crater and wiped any remaining blood from his chin and mouth. He made his way to the other hole.

He looked down at the girl in the hole, through anything, she had tried to escape her destiny. "Sorry, but… this is reality." The ground under his feet crumbled and cracked. It just wasn't possible… how could she do that in the short moment of time?!

The impact of her fist dealt a heavy blow under his chin, sending him flying backwards. Neji lay at her feet staring hopeless up at her, he was now completely unable to move. The orange jacket wearing genin tried to catch her breath, the tips of her fingers dripping with blood and dirt caked underneath her finger nails.

The examiner of the match smirked. _"Even when she was getting the snot beat out of her, she never stopped believing. She kept digging… heh what an interesting kid." _

"Ugh…. I should've figured you'd use that jutsu! After all… the shadow clone jutsu is your specialty." The immobilized Hyuga uttered, venom dripping off every word.

"You know…" she began, expression hidden behind a curtain of blond hair. "… I failed the academy graduation exam 3 times...…. because there was that one ninjutsu at the end of the exam… I just couldn't master…" exhaustion was evident in her voice and posture. But she forced herself to stay awake, she was going to prove a point to the misguided teen. "…the shadow clone jutsu…. was my worst ninjutsu."

He took this news in with great shock. If she wasn't trying to be serious right now she would've laughed at the expression. But instead she restrained herself and produced a glare.

"…Destiny can't be changed. Blah, blah, blah. Why don't you stop whining about that stupid crap… you don't have a reason to… since you're not a failure like me…" she gave him the most serene expression. Neji's face expression melted away into a dazed look.

"WINNER, Naruko Uzumaki!"

**AN: Sorry about the late update! I've been sick… plus its powwow season! So I'mma be a lil busy, but don't worry! I defiantly keep updating! Til next time!**


	54. Sasuke Fails!

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing… Mister Masashi Kishimoto owns! Yay!**

Sasuke fails!

Sakura and Ino looked at each other in shock and then back down at the field. They both weren't expecting this.

"The winner of this match, is Naruko Uzumaki!"

Dead silence fell upon the crowd. Only the whistling of the wind was heard. Instead of facing the crowd, she kept her hard glare on the Hyuga boy as the medics carried him off. Once he was out of sight she dropped her head in embarrassment. The audience didn't make a single sound since the end of her match.

But it didn't matter. She won against last year's rookie of the year. It made her ecstatically happy at the moment and not even the villagers could bring her down. Now it was only be a matter of time before she's beaten this year's rookie of the year... Sasuke.

A roar of applause and shouts stopped her mid-stride. They were cheering, for her!

"Way to go shrimp!" "Yeah! You go girl!" "Naruko you did it!"

Biting her bottom lip she fought back the tears that threatened to fall. Slapping on a wide grin, she bounced happily around the arena grounds ever so often blowing a kiss to the crowd.

The examiner watched as the girl made a fool out of herself, a smirk played across his lips. _"That girl has some monster stamina. Even after an insane fight like that… heh she still has enough energy to run around."_ it was impressive how she could stand so much pain and was still able to grin about later.

…

Neji lay in the medical bed, contemplating on his meaning of life. Her words still fresh in his mind. Could people decide their own destiny? If so…. Why did his father have to die for the main Hyuga family? What was in the purpose of him dying?

The door opened. Neji didn't need to hear it since he had full view of the door way. He couldn't keep the venom out of his voice and the glare from forming on his face. "Hello lord Hiashi…"

"Neji, I need to tell you something…"

…

The blond girl took a spot on the far end of the balcony railing, just next to a baffled Shikamaru. Leaning forward, she rested her head tiredly on her crossed arms, observing the ring below with closed eyes. It was a tiring feat to accomplish, but here she stood… not Neji. Nothing could ruin the moment for her.

"Hey Naruko do you know where Sasuke is? His match is suppose to be next." Guess she spoke to soon…

Her eyes flew open as she whipped her head in Shikamaru's direction. "What?! You mean he still hasn't shown up!?"

"No one's seen him all day… this is bad for him…" he closed his eyes in thought. "… if he doesn't show up soon they'll disqualify him."

Shino beside him nodded slightly. "…Confuscious said, 'the wise do not approach the dangerous' perhaps it was the wise decision…" Naruko had no idea who this 'confuscious' person was, but she had already dubbed him a know-it-all jerk! This was the Great Uchiha Sasuke… the stubborn bastard, in her books… there was no way he would ever run from a match! It was unthinkable!

… Besides he had said he wanted to also fight Naruko. If he was ditching, than he was only being a big selfish jerk!

Opening her mouth to speak, she caught the azure eyes of Gaara staring at her from the other end of the railing, waiting for her to say something. She narrowed her eyes in a glare. "No way! Sasuke's defiantly going come! Even if he had to drag himself here…" a mocking smile graced her lips.

Shikamaru looked between the blond and redheaded, noting their glares directed at one another. For her sake he hoped the girl wasn't just blowing smoke.

…

The hokage weighed a heavy decision. Already the crowd was getting restless, demanding they start the next match. He heaved a frustrated sigh. "Sasuke Uchiha shall be disqualified from the final exams…"

"Hokage…" the Kazekage interjected. " …please wait a little while longer before making you're decision." The old man's always calmed expression snapped to one of surprise. It was a first time the kazekage had ever been willing to be patient. But, before he could ask him about his strange behavior, one of his many subordinates stepped forward. Bowing in apology before continuing "Anyone who takes punctuality lightly is undeserving of the title chunin, regardless of how good they are… Unless there is a good enough reason to convince the lords and shinobi leaders to wait… then we should continue without him."

"I see… than there are plenty of reasons to leave Sasuke Uchiha in the final's" he got the interest of the ruling hokage. "majority of the lords, and shinobi leaders, myself included, have all came because the last known living Uchiha was fighting in the chunin exams. And we, the people of the wind country would like to see our very own Gaara face off against this very strong opponent." The man finished. The hokage eyed him suspiciously.

…

"Due to the absence of this matches contestant. We shall postpone this match and continue with the one following after it!" There were loud groans of irritation coming from the crowd. Valuable time was wasted.

Naruko couldn't be anymore relieved. Although the two sand siblings (oldest ones) were practically chewing on the inside of their cheeks in nervousness. They gave one another shocked expressions.

"W-Wait! Than that means my match is closer!" Shikamaru whined. Naruko couldn't help but laugh at his misfortune. "haha! Not running from this one Shikamaru! You're gonna have to throw your weight around!"

"…I forfeit!"

Both of their jaws hit the floor at the person who spoke. But the one most upset out of the three leaf genin was Shino. Hand already gripping the railings and muscles tense for a battle, he wasn't one to easily blow off a match. But what could he do but sit back and watch now?

Out the corner of their eye's the girl with the dirty blond hair removed her fan from her back. A swing of her arm, and she was riding the enormous thing like a fun ride (in Naruko's opinion).

"You're eager…" the proctor of the match drawled out in a bored voice. She didn't answer, only smirk. "Nara Shikamaru, get down here!"

The boy just sighed heavily. Some things were too troublesome, right now being one of them. Maybe he should just quit like the guy before him? As he thought on this he didn't notice the blond disappear from his side.

Naruko could only take a few steps back, but it was all the room she needed. Shino raised an eyebrow at her sudden strange behavior. She merely gave him a small mischevious smile before dashing forward, using the last moment to jump into a mid-air kick, one that would make Gai proud, and connected with the back of Shikamaru's unsuspecting head.

…

"AHHHHH!"

Ino jumped with intense ferocity at her teammates restrained fighting spirit. "Yeah! GO Shikamaru! Show that chick what you got!"

"Hey, this sit taken?" a person spoke up beside, drawing her attention. "Oh… hey Choji you're stomach feeling better already?" she suspected that answer was a yes since he was already devouring a bag of potato chips. "Wasn't Sasuke's match-muphf!" he didn't finish that sentence due to Ino's hand. The girl seemed frantic her eyes big, as she made a shushing signal with her finger. They both looked to the pick haired that sat right next to them. too late, she already overheard what they had said.

Sakura sat, hugging her knees, a look of depression written all across her face. In Ino's point of view it was too pathetic to watch, so right now Sasuke was a touché topic.

"It's kinda weird seeing Shikamaru in the final rounds isn't it? I bet he'll quit pretty soon." he said in between bites, watching the fight with little interest. He could tell his long time best friend was finding the whole thing lame, seeing as he was hiding in a group of trees. It was a perfect strategy, wait in the shadows till she came than snatch her shadow. She seemed a little too smart for that as well and kept her distance. So right now, Choji could easily tell his friend was getting annoyed by the whole thing.

Ino seemed to take offence to this. "What are you talking about? Sure he's lazy and whatever… but, I don't know he seems different right now. I mean, just before you got here, he practically leaped into the ring… I think we're looking a completely different Shikamaru." He shrugged his shoulders, there was no use in trying to argue with someone who was as stubborn as a bull.

…

He stared longingly at the clouds. _"…Man, I wish I could be a cloud. Just float along all day, without any hassles… I only became a ninja just because I thought it would be a much more interesting life… troublesome… but I suppose there's really nothing I can do about now." _he smiled to himself. Bringing his hands together he unconsciously made a hand sign.

Asuma in the stands smirked, the woman besides him curious. "whats he doing?" "…He's coming up with a strategy…"

His opponent glared, taking the smile as mocking expression. Another swing of her mighty fan and the trees were bending at the strength of the wind. Shikamaru shielded himself from the force of the wind.

Temari smirked, proud of herself at the destruction she had caused. Plumes of smoke obstructed her vision, which made her very cautious. As suspected, a black blur shot out from beneath the shadow of a cloudstretching towards her. in a fluid movement, she leapt backwards away from the chasing shadow. After a short distance it stopped, stretching as far it can go. She let out a small chuckle. "…I see… so you have a limit."

The smoke cleared, Shikamaru crouched against the wall watching the girl with bored eyes. His jacket appeared to be missing. Temari marked the spot his shadow was stretched, figuring it was his stopping point. As long as her attacks were coming from this distance, she would be fine.

He braced himself for another gust of wind. Using chakra to root himself to the ground was starting to get tedious and tiring. All he wanted to do was end this already.

"GO SHIKAMARU!" Naruko yelled from the second floor. He had to keep in mind to get her back one of these days for kicking him off the balcony.

"TEMARI ABOVE YOU!" her brother yelled. Just as he warned her, a weapon attached to Shikamaru's missing jacket floated down. But that wasn't her problem, his shadow was stretched once the jacket had provided more shade. But she was still too fast, bobbing and weaving away from the black shadow with a bit of difficulty. Once again it stopped, just before catching her. Temari examined the ground more closely, recalculating the distance between herself and the shadow user. _"15 meter's and 32 centimeters… that's as far it'll stretch until the sun moves again."_

She opened her fan and stuck it into the ground before her, making a wall to cover her form. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her from his place. A knowing smirk slithered across her lips. With his view blocked, he couldn't know what she was planning. The match was her's for the taking. By making a clone of herself she could easily draw the attention of the boy away from her, within that small moment of confusion she would jump out and take him down using a single shuriken. It would be an easy win.

Just as her hands clapped together in a hand sign, her body went rigid.

"…Gotcha…"

…

Naruko from the second gallery, was practically hanging off the railing in suspense. _"He got her! Now all he needs to do is beat her silly!"_ Ino from the stands was also on the edge of her sit… while Choji was in a mad state of devouring. She felt bad for the chips.

"I give up!"

Both blonds expression fell in shock. Choji grinned in delight. "I told you he would quit… guess I know Shikamaru a lot better than you do Ino!"

The crowd roared in disappointment, throwing random things into the ring. But Shikamaru just shrugged it off, finishing a pointless battle was too tiring anyway.

"The winner is Temari!"

The proctor smiled at the kid in the corner of his eye. He sure was a strange kid. Even though he had the fight in the palm of his hand he still chose to quit. But he supposed getting you're team out safely in a mission rather than sacrificing everyone, were the traits of a true leader. There's no doubt that this lazy brat was going to be a great leader.

Naruko didn't see it that way. A cowards way out, and there was no way he wasn't going to get away without a lecture. "THAT ASSHOLE! I'M GONNA GO YELL AT HIM!" Shino tried his best to dowse the blonds fury,"… yelling is a tricky thing, especially if you don't want to anger the other party-" "SHUT UP SHINO!" She wouldn't listen to any of it. Once she had jumped the fence down to the second floor, he simply shrugged. He tried to do the right thing and stop her… but destiny made her deaf, he supposed.

"Shikamaru! You lazy bastard! You could've won, but you had to go and screw things up by being a-!" he cut her off "-It doesn't matter anyway, what's done is done. Aren't you looking forward to the match coming up?" he struck a nerve. She cracked an excited smile. "…Sasuke's match…"

As if on cue a gust of wind twisted and turned in the middle of the ring. Fallen leaves from the trees drifted in circles. Naruko covered her face with her right arm. What the hell was going on?! Once everything had settled, she dropped her arms from her face. Eye's bugged out at the two figures that stood in front of her.

"Ah… we're not too late are we?"


	55. Naruko's Worries!

**Disclaimer: I own nothing… there.**

Naruko's worries…

"You're name?" the proctor asked the two new people in the ring. The youngest out of the two answered in a dull voice. "…Sasuke Uchiha"

Naruko glared at the boy, acting so cool even after he had everyone waiting on his ass. It was so typical of him! Shikamaru thought along those same lines. "So you finally came Sasuke! Here I thought you were getting too scared, and ran off like a chicken!" He didn't respond, only comment on her disheveled appearance. "… ditz, you look as if hell swallowed you and spit you back up." He smirked at her feral expression. It was always so easy to rile her up. From the confidence that gleamed in her eyes, he could tell she had won her match. He was happy for her… though, he would never tell her.

Ignoring his teammate trying to glare daggers into his skull, he turned to look up in the stands, onyx eyes locking onto azure. There was a mutual hatred between the two boys. Naruko caught the look and stared up into the stands as well, the back of her hand coming up and lightly tapping the back of his, the tiny gesture brought back the memories of their wave mission together, when the Uchiha had been going crazy over the fear of his unknown death.

"…Sasuke…" fierce determination in her eyes was smothering. "… You don't lose to him… cause… I wanna fight you!" a small genuine smile slipped. There was no way he would lose this match.

…

"KYAA! Sasuke's so cool!" Ino squealed in delight.

Sakura smiled. It was a close one… but for once, Kakashi pulled through. She couldn't be anymore happy.

"Hey Sakura! You're teams so amazing!" her seating partner stated bluntly. "Sasuke's awesome all on his own, but than Naruko becomes this really incredible fighter! I gotta say… you and your team have come far…" the pink haired female blushed, her green eyes sparkling in admiration for her two teammates. "…yeah, I know…"

…

"Argh! You're still pissed off at me for kicking you! Come on Shikamaru! Hurry your ass up!" the girl whined. The boy that walked a few feet in front of her turned his head in her direction, giving a cold stare. "… just shut up. We're taking the nice **slow** way up. And it involves no talking."

She blew a strand of hair from her face in frustration. Patient, she was not.

Finally, after about half-an-hour of walking (in her point-of-view) they were close to the final flight of stairs. She half-walked half-jogged up the first few steps, turning on her heel to give an excited grin to her partner. "Hurry up Shikamaru! We're almo-!"

She stopped dead in her sentence, eyes wide in shock. Looking in her direction, his expression mirrored hers. Down a dimly lit hallway, they could easily make out the silhouette that was the infamous Gaara, two shinobi snarling in his expressionless face. "Lose this match! Or else you have to deal with real shinobi!" he didn't move, only keep his head to the ground and take the abuse. Naruko had the overwhelming urge to protect the boy. But with Shikamaru's hand holding her back, she was stalled for the moment, stunned by his frightened facial expression but she merely shook it off and glared.

Preparing to rip her wrist from his hold a loud gurgled yell shook the walls, filling them to the core with dread. Squishing and crunching noises echoed off the walls of the small hall, filling the sudden silence. Neither genin moved as footsteps started coming towards them, neither one dare to even breathe.

The redheaded boy emerged from the darkness, a manic look shaking in his irises. Clutching the side of his in pain, he mumbled incoherent words to himself.

He stopped, standing directly behind the both of them, waiting.

Noticing their still connected hands, they pulled away from one another, giving him the space he needed to pass. Shikamaru kept his head forward, trying with all his might not to look at the redhead. Naruko didn't share the same survival instincts as the shadow user. Looking the boy square in the eye she desperately tried to keep her heart from coming out of her throat. _"…such…killing intent...!"_

A split second his eye's widened in remorse, guilt, and regret. But as fast as it came it was gone a second later, his usual blank expression in place. Without any words he walked passed the both of them, nudging her shoulder his way down the flight of stairs.

It felt like hours before the tapping sound of his sandals finally turned into nothing but a dull buzz.

They both fell backwards from the lack of oxygen they didn't know they missed. Heavy pants were their only source of breathe for the moment. "…w…why.. didn…didn't he.. kill us?" Shikamaru got out between pants, staring wide eyed at the ground in front of him. Naruko shook her head not believing their luck. "…we're…not enough…!" she was worried for Sasuke now.

…

Both boy's glared at one another, daring the other to blink.

"Begin!"

Gaara bent forward, clutching his head in pain. "…mother..! I'm sorry, please don't be angry! I fed you bad blood… but I promise….. it will be delicious this time.." there was an inner battle going on in his head. Sasuke narrowed his eyes in suspicion _"who's he talking to?"_ Shortly after the boy was panting from exhaustion, the circles under his eyes had gotten worse. "…come."

…

Naruko sprinted as fast as she could up the stairs, there was only one person who she could think of that could stop the fight. When she finally made it to the top she noticed the two genin had started their fight. In a panic she scanned the heads of people, straining to find that one practicular white head.

"W-wait up!" Shikamaru followed after her out of breath.

Catching sight of the one she searched for and quickly dashed to his side, ignoring her friend's pleas for a rest.

"Sensei! You have to stop the fight!" he turned at her voice, giving a fake smile… or what she thought was a smile. "Naruko, how have you bee-""-Please Kakashi sensei, you have to stop the fight! He's going to kill Sasuke!" the desperation in her voice was clear, making her pink haired teammate that sat beside Ino and Choji scrunch up her face in worry.

There was a long stretch of silence before the jonin closed his eye in a smile. "…don't worry Naruko, you know, we weren't late for a reason." This made the girl tilt her head slightly.

…

Sasuke went in for another hit, only managing to crack his knuckles once her fist impacted with the hardened ball that was the sand ninja's defence. He easily dodged the spikes that threatened to impale him. A smirk crawled its way across his face, _"…so, this is his ultimate defence… right now it seems like he's taking some time to himself in that thing… heh good, my special technique also takes time." _

…

Naruko threw her arm across, a gesture showing she didn't care about that. "We don't have time for this! Stop the match!" Kakashi sighed, stubborn as always. "…just watch him, you'll know what I mean."

She glared at his answer, could he have been anymore vague?

But doing as told she watched the fight bellow, unconsciously wincing at the sight of the Uchiha covered in bruises, scratches, and his own blood. It was a little nerve wracking to see him like this, and Naruko hadn't a clue why. But suddenly at a speed she only seen bushy brows use, he jumped back, skidding to a stop on the side of the wall in the arena, gripping his right hand with all his might.

Flashes of light sparked up around him, the source concentrated in the hand he held. Eye's wide, she couldn't believe the speed he went at the dome of sand with, as if he himself was a blur. Gaara's offensive spikes didn't have a chance to form before the boy hit the dome. She closed her eyes and clutched the top of her shoulder, feeling pity for the boy that took refuge in the dome. Although she shouldn't feel that towards him, right now the only thing that should be of concern was Sasuke's well-being. But every time she would try to convince herself to recent the boy, his regretful expression would flash through her memory.

Shikamaru seen her body react to the attack and frown _"…Naruko… even after what you just seen him do, he still feel sorry for him. You're naïve…"_

…

Sasuke smirked at his direct hit. The feeling of warm liquid coating his fingers was a clear indication that he had stabbed him with his Chidori. Flesh beneath his fingers started shaking, muttering was heard on the inside of the barrier.

"…W..what… is…this…?"

Sasuke tried to pull his hand out of the new opening he had made, but something big had wrapped itself around his wrist making it difficult for him pull his arm free.

"…Blood!... THIS IS MY BLOOD!" Gaara let out a scream of despair. Not one for having to see his blood, it scared him.

While up in the second gallery, both of his older siblings were too stunned, not once had they ever seen someone pierce Gaara's impenetrable sand. Whatever happened from here on out wasn't gonna be pretty.

Now the Uchiha was tugging roughly on his arm, desperate to get free. In a twisting motion with his wrist, he lubed his hand with the boy's blood to escape. The dome cracked and crumbled away into sand making a dark hole right in front of the black haired boy's face. His eye's widened in a mixture of terror, fear, and shock. In a quick reflex, Sasuke jumped away, successfully get away from the sand. But a giant veiny clawed hand followed after him. He easily dodged its slow movements, but was scared as to what it even was.

…

Naruko tried to make out what the blurry thing that had grabbed Sasuke. But everything around her was getting fuzzy, her eye's became heavy, knees felt weak. Without a sound, she fell on her side letting the feeling of sleep overcome her. _"…but…sasuke's…gonna…"_ her thoughts faded into nothing.

Kakashi above stood above her, glaring at the purple barrier that appeared on the hokage's rooftop where he had sat with the kazekage. War was upon them.

…

Sasuke heard the sounds of explosions in the distance, buildings being smashed. But his only concern was the boy that melted out of the sand standing before him, bleeding. He was rooted in place, confused on the events that were taking place all around him. Looking to the stands many people were passed out, he searched for a head of blond but found her nowhere. Glancing back over to his opponent Sasuke found him surrounded by more sand ninja.

"We abort the mission! Gaara's too far gone, get him to a safe area… now!" the veiled jonin yelled. Both teens handled the boy with care, ignoring the Uchiha as they fled the ring. But Sasuke wouldn't allow them to escape, they had something to do with this attack and he was gonna stop them.

…

Sakura tried her best to be hidden from the battle that occurred all around her. easily making her way towards the sleeping Uzumaki girl. Pakkun, Kakashi's summoned companion signaled for her to lay flat on her stomach. The tiny pup made it to the two sleeping genin's position first. She made a hand sign and poked the unconscious girl in the mid of her back.

Naruko turned her head to stare groggily into her greens eyes. "…ughh… S..sakura…? what are you-" "Shh! Come on, we have to get Shikamaru up." She whispered harshly into the girl face. Without any question the younger girl slowly followed.

Sakura prepared another release when her face twisted in annoyance. The cute puppy sauntered forward, leaning down and chomped into the leg of the pretending boy. With a jolt, Shikamaru sat upwards trying to shake the dog to let go. "You were awake this whole time?!" A short time after the pup was hanging by his collar, his cheek being stretched as pay back. "I didn't wanna get involved… too troublesome. I don't even like Sasuke!" it sounded as if he was whining.

"Regardless! Their sensei has instructed you and them to go after Sasuke!" Pakkun demanded.

Naruko had no clue what was happening, she gets woken up, Sakura's yelling (well… she's usually yelling.), and then this pup starts talking. It must have been still a dream. Just when she concluded her thoughts an explosion erupted right next to them. The culprit of the enormous hole stood, teeth sparkling, giving them the thumbs up. Suddenly, Kakashi's not too far from them, crouched down in a fighting pose, with his back to them.

"I've already explained the mission to Sakura. She will brief you on details on your way to your destination. That is Pakkun, he will help you kids find Sasuke! Go now!" As if a switch had been flicked, Naruko was glaring determinedly. "Y-Yes Sensei!"

She tried to keep her laughter in as she watch Shikamaru being dragged out by the little puppy Pakkun.

…

**Reanimation Jutsu!**

Orochimaru summoned up two coffins. The hokage narrowed his eyes in recognition. Of all the people he had to bring back to life. He feared he wouldn't walk away from this fight alive… but even if it was the last thing he did. He would make sure Orochimaru didn't as well.

…

"Oh! Okay I get it! So we're under attack… Sasuke chased after those sand siblings and we have to go and give him a hand right?!" she finally pieced everything together. "WAIT A MINUTE! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK?! WHO'S ATTACKING US?!" they all sighed. Sometimes it wasn't worth trying to explain things to the little idiot.

The pup's speed increased. "Everyone, pick up the pace! We have enemy ninja on our trail!"

Shikamaru sighed, it couldn't be helped. "…Damnit, we'll have to make them think we're ambushing them…" Sakura caught his sentence. "What do you mean?!" it was such a drag to explain things, but in order for his plan to succeed they needed to know what they were getting into. "…There's a possibility that the plan won't even work. If one of us was to stay behind and stall the eight or so ninja chasing us, the other three will have a chance of catching up to Sasuke… but the flaw to that plan is… there's no doubt that the shinobi chasing are hunter nin. Highly trained Ninja to track and kill, with them in a group as they are now, they could all kill us without any trouble. And honestly we really don't have the man power, no pun intended, to take them all down. All that we have is a dog, a girl with no talent what-so-ever, a moron-" "HEY!" Naruko barked. "-And a guy that runs away, me." The two females gave him an annoyed look. "…also the person who stays behind will mostly likely be killed."

Sakura tensed at his last sentence. _"…be killed?!"_

Naruko sighed after a few seconds of thinking. "I understand, I'll-" "I suppose it's up to me." He interjected irritably. "What?! but I was just about to-" "Naruko! I'm the least needed companion out of all of us right now. Besides…no one's as good as running away than me right?" grabbing the top of a branch Shikamaru spun, never losing his momentum he dashed backward towards the woods heading straight for the enemies. "…I'll meet up with you girls later…"

She didn't even get to reply, instead of arguing she sped forward. _"You'd better!"_

Five minutes of jumping from tree to tree Pakkun can still smell the enemy getting closer. Sakura, unsure voiced her concern. "…Are you sure he's the reliable type? What if he just left us by ourselves?"

For the first time, Naruko glared at Sakura. "He's not that type of guy! Shikamaru may look it, or act it…but there's no way he would ever do that!" this silenced her. Pakkun spoke again. "They've completely stopped!" the blond smiled. "…see, What I tell you?"

…

Shikamaru had them all going in a circle, in a few short seconds they'll figure out his plan and follow them again. That's when he'd have to stall them himself.

"We've been through here already!" oh, looks like they've finally seen through his trick. All eight stood in the middle of a clearing, waiting. Suddenly going rigid, "W-What the hell's going on?!" he assumed, he was the leader. "It's useless, you're caught in my shadow…" things were so tiresome.

"It's just a kid!"

The brunette haired boy ignored their ranting, his chakra wasn't going to last much longer, especially since he still was tired from his fight with that Temari chick. He gazed upwards into the sky, he wasn't accepting death, no, the moment his shadow released, he was outta there. But for now… he just wanted to relax.

"…_man, what a drag. Here I was gonna have the normal life… be your average shinobi, meet a nice girl… not to pretty, not to ugly… have two kids. One boy and one girl. Retire after my daughters graduated, play shogi up until the day I die of old age… before my wife of course… but I have go to and do such a lame thing as this… oh well."_ He smirked.

…

The hokage fought against them as long as he could, but he was no match against all three of them. It was about that time before his chakra was completely depleted.

**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**

They scatter into the darkness. The hokage was happy he could live to see so many faces of Konoha. The new generation was flourishing quite beautifully. And he wasn't worried about his grandson growing up and becoming a troubled child… because he knew Naruko would whip him back into shape.

**Reaper Death Seal!**

As far as he knew, everyone was family. He would go to great lengths to make sure his family was protected.

…

Ibiki gawked at the enormous snake. So far all attacks against the serpents had done nothing but anger it. Just as it set its sights on the now lone shinobi, an explosion of smoke burst in front of him.

"Oh wow Ibiki, those scars really make you look dangerous! It's kinda hot!" he widened his eyes in recognition of the voice. "Jiraiya!" "It's lady Jiraiya, ya jerk! There's a difference! If I'm here to save your life the least you could do is get my name right, geez! You're still as arrogant as ever!" the woman lectured.

Sitting atop a giant frogs head her look of distain aimed at the snake. "Eww! Snakes are soo disgusting!" she blanched. The serpent seemed frozen in place from fear. "That's right you big disgusting worm! Be afraid! You're up against the one and only Lady Jiraiya! Toad sage!" she cast a glance in Ibiki's direction. "Hey, where's the old man?" He hesitated for a moment. "…he's at the testing arena!" brown eyes narrowed in suspicion. _"I knew Orochimaru would try to do something like this…. Hang in there old man!"_


	56. Light And Darkness!

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Everything belongs to the respective owner Masashi Kishimoto!**

Light And Darkness!

Sasuke jumped from branch to branch, both Gaara and… he couldn't remember her name, had covered quite a bit of ground when they fled. Leaving their oldest brother behind in an attempt to stall the Uchiha, but fortunately for him Shino had come when he did. Announcing, he wanted a fight with the purple makeup wearing boy. He just couldn't care less. Right now all that concerned him was keeping Gaara from escaping.

After a mile or so of running, he caught up to them. Only to find the girl knocked out and Gaara hunched over, alone, mumbling nonsense to himself.

"….no….. we're ….….." that was all Sasuke could hear.

He remained his usual deadpanned self, even when those angry eyes locked on him. "You!... you're the same as me!" Sasuke glared at that comment. "…. Hn, I'm nothing like you…fool!"

Gaara shook his head, as if erasing his thoughts. "….no…no… not you… her.." this caught his attention. ".. she's like me… her eye's… are exactly the same as mine!" Sasuke was wondering when he would start making sense, Also who he was talking about.

"…Naruko, Uzumaki…. Is exactly like me…" his glare sharpened. "Pft! You're delusional.." "Am I?... I don't feel like I am… maybe that's because.. I don't exist…." His movements went erratic. "…No, no, no!... I have to be alive! Make me feel alive!"

Sasuke took a step back, surprised when half his face cracked and crumbled away. _"W..What the hell is happening to him!?"_ the skin under that sand mask bubbled and morphed. His screams echoed off the bark of the trees that surrounded them. Sasuke covered his ears in an attempt to muffle the sound.

Gaara's arm stretched at an impossible length, the left side of his face as well. Sand dripped off the monstrous limb, nails no longer human instead now… long extended claws, blue markings running up and down the demon-half. But what caught the Uchiha's all-seeing eyes was his slit black eye. It was the same one he had seen in the darkness of the sand dome, just staring, hungry.

Salivating, Gaara let out an angry roar.

Sasuke was trembling in fear, he noticed. This… thing had such killing intent he felt suffocated. Gaara leaped directly at him, swiping. Sasuke tried to dodge each swing. The redheaded teen lifted the heavy arm above his head and dropped it on the Uchiha. The smoke cleared and the raven haired boy had successfully fled the area... but not without a nick in the arm.

Sasuke clutched the wound, hoping the smell won't attract him.

"… Sasuke Uchiha… are you afraid of me?!" he could fell the atmosphere sharpen. "Hahahahaha! You're hate isn't great enough!" those words sparked something in the Uchiha. Memories crashed back into him like an avalanche.

"_**You can't kill me little brother… you're hate isn't strong enough…!"**_

His eyes snapper opened to reveal blood red irises. Sasuke would prove he's strong enough… starting with this freak.

…

Iruka led his academy students in the safety of the catacombs. Getting away was easy, it was trying to keep Konohamaru calm and quiet that was the problem.

"Come on Iruka sensei! Tell me what happened! Naruko was at the arena! She's okay right?" the boy jumped in front of the man, an expression of worry mixed with determination. Iruka shook his head and gave him the same answer. "She's a shinobi of the leaf." And once again, Konohamaru was unsatisfied. "That doesn't tell me anything!" he yelled. The people around cowered in fear of being found out by the enemy.

Noticing his mistake he quickly covered his mouth. His sensei glared down at him. "Konohamaru… don't worry about Naruko, she can take care of herself. Right now, we take care of the civilians. Okay?"

Ashamed of his behavior, he nodded his head. Although he had a duty to do… Konohamaru couldn't shake the feeling something lost, like the world suddenly got empty.

…

Shikamaru glared at the smoking man. "…you know, I wasn't in any trouble…" Asuma turned and gave his student a toothy smile. "I'm sure Shikamaru….. You were just sitting there waiting for your chakra to deplete… it was all in my imagination. Right?" the boy scoffed, muttering a 'troublesome' under his breath. He couldn't help but laugh. Sure Shikamaru was lazy and didn't think much of anything… but he still was a remarkable lad all on his own.

…

Cursing, the Uchiha collapsed onto the overgrown tree branch, flat on his stomach. Black marks littered his pale bruised skin. Blood seemed to climb it's up his throat, spilling out the corner of his mouth.

"_Damnit! I can't move… that third Chidori completely drained me….. and this curse mark, only seems to be getting worse!"_

Gaara himself wasn't in any better condition. He was crouched onto a branch opposite of him, the giant arm falling from its shoulder socket, his smaller arm beneath coated in a sheen of blood.

The redhead let out an another eardrum shattering yell. Sasuke glanced back, surprised to find him completely healed, to top it off he had grown a tail and another monstrous arm. There was just no beating this guy. Gaara turned his sights on the immobile Uchiha, and leaped at him for an attack. Before the feral boy could lay a finger on the Uchiha, he was knocked back. A strong kick in the side of the face sent him flying backwards.

Naruko stood protectively over her injured teammate, while Sakura tended to Sasuke with care.

Gaara gave one menacing look before realizing who had knocked him back. "…ah, Naruko Uzumaki…!" she didn't like the way he said her name one bit. "..W…who are you?" the tremble in her voice seemed more like a growl than a pitch of fear. The red haired monster tilted his head slightly and grinned. "Do I scare you… Uzumaki..? are you afraid…"

She gulped. What the hell was this thing? And how the hell did it know her name? with a closer look, she caught the red kanji mark on the left side of the things forehead. It finally clicked. Whatever this was, it was a deformed version of Gaara. Angrier, wild and very, very strong. It **was** Gaara.

"Naruko! Get away from him!" Sasuke struggled to stand.

Gaara growled, the muscles in his legs flexed. The blond did a sharp turn of her head, panic in her whiskered features. "Get out of here!" she was too late, he had charged past her… heading straight at the downed Uchiha. Sakura, hit the trunk of the tree, blood sprayed from her mouth. His enormous hand encased her in a deadly grip from the neck down, claws wrapped around the tree.

Or he would've, if not for the pick haired girl. The expression of defiance she wore triggered a suppressed memory. And out of pain, Gaara clutched his head. _"… Yashamaru…"_

In his temporary moment of weakness Naruko sprung to the aid of the Uchiha. Carrying him away with his arm wrapped around her neck. Sasuke glared out the corner of his eye at her. "Idiot…! I told… you to go!" "Shut up Sasuke! I'm not leaving anybody!" her voice wavered slightly. How was she going to get back Sakura… when she was scared shitless? _"…Anybody but him...!"_ her knuckles were turning white, bottom and upper teeth were grinding against one another (which you shouldn't do!). Naruko was clueless on what she's suppose-to do. The boy just stood there… clutching his head, muttering nonsense to himself.

There had to be a way to protect Sasuke, while at the same time rescue Sakura.

She wondered if she could approach unseen, but he would occasionally snapped his head up, a mixture of emotions swimming in his azure eyes. But the one Naruko could recognize was… loneliness.

...

"_Yashamaru… am I injured?" the tiny boy asked his uncle. "no you seem fine to me." He joked whole heartily. But the boy put his palm over where his heart was a look of worry etched into his childish features. "but… it hurts so much…" _

_His uncle smiled softly. Taking a kunai from his pouch, he carried it across the tip of his finger, drawing blood. His nephew was confused, he didn't know the difference between emotional pain and physical. He was surprised. "…Gaara… physical pain is inflicted on the body. It can heal with time, faster with medical aid… but the pain you feel in here…" he laid his hand over his. Gaara's eye's widened slightly. "…but emotional pain is in here…" "than how can I heal it?!" "…only one thing, can stop such heartache… and as inconventient it may seem, only another person can offer you this cure…" _

"_What is it?!" he was starting to feel desperate._

_Out of the corner of his eye Yashamaru gave him the most tender look Gaara has ever received from anyone. "…it's love young master…"_

…...

Gaara's eye's glossed over in hatred. He was now looking directly at the blond girl, determination in her blue eyes. "What are they to you?" she seemed taken back by this question but answered anyway. "Their my friends! So leave them alone or I'll kick your ass!" he glared, the hand that pinned Sakura tightened making her groan in pain.

The girl rushed at him "YOU BASTARD!"

Without any trouble, he knocked her back. Naruko laid on the ground for a moment, eye's wide in fear. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at his teammates frightened behavior. _"she's not acting like herself…. Did something happen between the two of them…?"_

She stood to her full height, glaring daggers into the transforming monster. _"..it's gonna drain all my chakra… but I gotta summon boss toad!"_ making the necessary hand signs Naruko laid her hands to the ground, a cloud of smoke bursting at her feet.

"Yo! I'm…. man, it's only a kid! Gimme snakes if you wanna ask a favor! Otherwise, I ain't playing with you!" her face fell. What went wrong?! "Well, you know what?! I hate you frogs altogether!" they broke out into a shouting match. If not for the circumstances, it would've been a comical scene. Her head snapped up once she seen movement from her opponent.

She gathered the tiny frog into her arms and shielded it from a barrage of sand shuriken. Though, she wasn't able to completely dodge the attack herself.

Sasuke watched the girl being pounded into the tree by the blunt weapons. It felt terrible not being able to help. Watching Naruko get hurt, and not being able to do anything about it was make him crazy. He had to do something

"Hey kid, you suck." The toad mocked. "Gah! Shuddup!" she yelled back. His body had changed more, whatever was covering him almost had his entire body consumed. The only part that still remained human were now his legs. And although, all that had changed, Naruko couldn't help but gaze into his eye. That monstrous eye she's seen so many times every single moment she walks by her reflection. It was unmistakable loneliness he carried.

_Those eye's… just like mine… in the past, I had that look every single day of my life. _

_For a long time I questioned my own existence… the villagers hated me, gave me looks that asked 'why do you live?' I wondered that myself…. I can sympathize… It's an unbearable darkness…to know, no one's there for you… to have no one…. _

_But….. after a while, Iruka sensei cared for me, he acknowledged me._

"**Naruko, it's been a while since we've gone out to get ramen!"**

…_..and slowly… Sasuke also became a person who acknowledged my existence. He also became someone precious to me._

"**Hmph! Stupid Ditz… train harder if you wanna beat me."**

_Soon after that, Sakura…_

"**Ooh! Naruko, this color matches you perfectly!"**

…_Kakashi as well._

"**Mmmm… you'll end up dying if you don't eat anything other than ramen. Here have some vegetables!"**

_I'm not alone anymore! I have people who acknowledge my existence… I'm so blessed to have these people who care for me._

…_But, if… if I were still alone… would I be like him? Him… he still lives in the darkness, no one to help him out, no one to acknowledge him… he lives only for himself._

_Do I stand a chance against him?!_

"You stupid ditz! Stop zoning out!" Sasuke yelled before a mouth full of blood filled his throat, causing him to hack uncontrollably.

The girl blinked a couple of times, realizing she had just zoned out in the middle of an important battle. Looking to the fallen Uchiha her mouth fell open to ask a question. But he had cut her off. "You want to be Hokage don't you?!" her body went rigid. "…if you're so easily scared like this… than your not cut out to be hokage!" she glared at him. How dare he say that! She was going to prove to that big mouth Sasuke she was worthy of the title!

_**~Shadow Clone Jutsu!~**_

A dozen of determined blonds glared at the sand monster. "I won't let you hurt my loved ones!"

…_Thanks… Sasuke._


	57. The Finale Blow!

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything. Everything belongs to its respective owner Masashi Kishimoto!**

The Finale Blow!

Sakura's guttered groans bounced off the walls of her mind. Every minute that ticked by, she was getting more hurt. But every attack Naruko tried to get him with, always ended with her being knocked away, like a pest.

"Is that all you got! I guess, I was wrong about you. Naruko Uzumaki…. Your nothing but a weakling!" Gaara growled.

The blond withdrew a kunai from her weapons pouch, and carefully wrapped a red and white paper around the hilt. _"…I have no idea what the hell I'm gonna do…. But I'm gonna try my best!"_

_**~Shadow Clone Jutsu!~**_

Four Uzumaki's charged at him. He laughed at her text book attack throwing his monstrous arm out in front Gaara caught three of the four girls in a powerful grip. The original Naruko used their bodies as nothing but shields, and with their bodies as leverage she jumped over. But her opponent saw through this and threw his other hand outwards, again.

Knowing his pattern of attack, Naruko made two more clones, as shields, and ducked under the attack. Now she was only an inch away from his face. A bright grin gracing her face, she took the kunai and jammed into in the monster's nose.

A move right from the infamous copy-cat ninja, Kakashi.

She would thank him… but she was still felt pretty sore about thatwhole event.

The sand monster smacked the blond girl away, ignoring the small weapon that was shoved up in his nose. But he caught the smirk that played on her lips. A distinct sizzle-like noise made him panic.

"…Boom…"

Gaara burst in an explosion of dust and debris.

Naruko expected to be thrown into the trunk of a tree, but was pleasantly surprised when warm arms encircled her and cushioned her impact.

"….. so… you're finally back to you're annoying self?…" she was pressed against his chest, a small blush dusted her whiskered cheeks. "…Idiot..! I can't save you like that time in wave country…" "Ehh, Shaddap!" she stood, trying to get out of his hold as quick as possible.

But as soon as she stood, he had her wrist in a grip. "…Naruko… I want you to save Sakura… and run as fast as you can…" what he said surprised her. "… Sasuke…" "I'll try and hold him off as long as I can." He got up to his full height, with her help. "…Never again…. I've lost everything once before, I don't want to see those dear to me die before my eyes again…" she thought on this. _"…those… dear to me…?"_

Memories of their wild escapades together flashed in her mind. A calm content feeling settled in her. "…I get it…"

_When a person is protecting something truly precious to them… that's when someone can become as strong as they want to be!" _She remembered Haku's words of wisdom. Thinking back on it now… she never said or did anything to thank the Uchiha for what he did. All this time, she's given him nothing but grief. Always annoying him and pulling pranks on him… it was about time Naruko thanked him.

Now standing next to Sasuke, she gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "…him and I are the same…" Naruko referred to the regenerating sand monster, just across from them. His eyes narrowed a bit, not liking the way she was thinking at the moment. "...because….. we've lived the same lives… He's lived the same loneliness as me, felt the same sadness…. I thought he was strong 'cause he survived that solitude, fighting, and loving only himself… I thought to myself, 'even if I was still living that life.. I would be scared… not having a single friend is terrifying…"

The Uchiha's glare softened. _"…Naruko…"_ It was the first time she had spoken about childhood, or about her past at that.

"… But I was wrong. Strength doesn't come from fighting only for yourself… when a person is protecting something truly precious to them… that's when someone can become as strong as they want to be!" throwing her hands into a series of hand signs, chakra steadily built in the air around her, whipping her short pigtails in different directions.

Her teammate, beside her, eye's wide as saucers stood in complete disbelief. The chakra she was gathering was almost suffocating. When was she able to generate this much chakra? Just a little while ago she was on her last leg… now… she seemed almost inhuman.

"I'LL PROTECT MY FRIENDS, NO MATTER WHAT!"

_**~Shadow Clone Jutsu!~**_

Every inch of the forest area they were in, was crowded with smirking blonds. "Are you ready to get your ass kick?! Cause I'm not holding back anymore!"

Without another word the army of girls leaped into action, some attacking from below, the rest from above. Gaara was only half healed from the explosion, his face hanging off in dripping chunks. But if he was fast enough, he could still use the sand for defence. Just as he thought up his plan of defence they had surprised him in an upward kick, sending him flying straight into the air above. And right into the fists of the girls above.

One's above drove down into his body with a flurry of fists. The force of them all sent him crashing into the ground, making a crater with his body. He could only stare helpless as another wave of Uzumaki girls rain down towards him, it was the final attack. Gaara was struck with a surge of fear, the girl's expression matched his own… only hers was slightly more tender. What was it that drives her?

"…_no… I can't lose!"_

An earth shattering roar broke their line of attackers. Each Uzumaki disappeared in small bursts of smoke, leaving the original flying into a near-by tree. "…crap!" Naruko cursed. Where did that sudden explosion of chakra come from?

In the place of Gaara, a 100 foot tall badger-like monster stood, glaring down at the terrified Uzumaki girl.

Naruko was too shocked to notice the creeping sand crawling up the side of her leg, Her fear of the monster to great for her to be on guard.

"NARUKO!"

Someone called out to her.

She attempted to spin and see but found her movements restricted waist down. "what the-!" shortly after half her face was slowly being consumed. A glimpse of panicked eyes, and soundless mouth was the last sight on the Uchiha, before Naruko was finally consumed in darkness. _"…Sasuke!"_

It seemed like forever since she was trapped in this cocoon. Legs quivered from exhaustion, it was no doubt from her lack of oxygen. An eerie floating feeling relaxed her… maybe death wasn't as bad as she thought?

Booming loud thumping noises struck the outside of the doom. The action had brought her out her moot thoughts. Being reminded of the people she still needed to save Naruko brought her thumb up to her lips. Sakura and her friends were in trouble, just what in the hell was she thinking?! Trying to rest at time like this…

_**~Summoning Jutsu!~**_

Sasuke blinked in shock.

Why had the idiot gone? And where did this enormous toad come from?! Narrowing his eyes, he caught sight of the tiniest yellow dot atop the toads head. It was unbelievable, but the blond had actually summoned something useful…. But he had to wonder… just when did she get so strong?

Naruko jumped for joy, she had done it! This time it wasn't an annoying little frog. Gamabunta, beneath her seemed confused.

"What do you want kid?!" his wizened voice boomed.

"Hey, Boss toad! I need you to fight with me!" he gave her a opponent a judging stare.

"…nope…"

Not expecting that. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN 'NOPE'?! YOU PROMISED TO MAKE ME YOUR UNDERLING! THEREFOR YOUR RESPONSIBLE FOR ME!" in a fit, Naruko stomped on the toads head… but it had no affect.

Chief toad was really starting not to like this girl… not that he liked the annoying brat to begin with. "Yeah, I did say I would make you my underling… but we still haven't shared a Sakazuki!" he lied, hoping it would finally put an end to her prattling.

"I'M ONLY TWELVE! I CAN'T DRINK!"

The same smaller toad from before, hopped onto the girls head and to the relief of chief toad, successfully silencing her trap.

"Hey Pop! Hear the chick out, she saved my life." said 'chick', resisted the urge to swat the annoying little amphibian.

Gamabunta's brow rose in surprise. "Gamakichi!? What do you think you're doing here?!" his son brushed off his question. "I wanted to come out and play… " the tiny toad pointed at Shukaku, accusingly. "Pop, that big guy's been bullying me 'round!" His father narrowed his eyes at the creature, "is that so…?"

Chief toad, reached for his handy kitana. If it was human sized, it would've passed off as a side knife. But seeing as how Gamabunta was larger, it was also massive.

The girl's expression turned to one of horror when Gaara's human body pulled itself from the sand atop Shukaku's head. He gave them all a glare before throwing his hands into an unknown sign Naruko hadn't seen before.

_**~Sleep~~**_

Gamabunta eyes widened. "…I see…. So he's an insomniac host… if he sleeps, the demon that dwells within, will slowly take over his consciousness… until there is nothing left of the host… Naruko!" she straightened up to attention. "In the next five minutes you'd better change me into something with fangs and claws! Got it?!" "Uh… Y-yes boss!" he was being awfully pushy. "When I get him into an unbreakable hold you rough up the host, make sure he wakes up!" "W-Wait! How am I suppose-!"

"**Hahahaha! I'm finally out!"** they all shuddered at the new upbeat voice. **"Yeah baby! I'm gonna kill you first!"**

He readied himself to leap, giving his son, and Naruko a short warning. "Hold on tight!"

Sasuke from below watched the two giants fight against one another. The blows they exchanged exploded in thundering claps, causing him to slightly flinch. He tried his best to not fall back on himself, when Gaara's monster form generated a ball of chakra in the back of its throat, shooting it straight at the kimono wearing toad,

Naruko's summoned beast tried to counteract with its own water ball, but unfortunately, a second followed right after. With no time to dodge, he used both webbed hands as shields. To Sasuke, the battle between the two massive creatures seemed more like a raging storm.

Gamabunta recovered from his hit, his kitana forgotten in the midst of battle.

"I can't take another hit like that!"

Naruko looked worried, "Hey! Boss! Let's lure him that way!" she pointed to the west, the opposite direction of where her teammates were stranded. "I don't want Sasuke and Sakura to get hurt!"

"Sasuke…?" the old toad questioned.

Before she could answer, annoying little Gamakichi cut in. "Sasuke her (main squeeze) if you know what I mean pop!" Naruko lightly bopped him on the head, an annoyed tick pulsed above her brow. "It's not like that!"

Regardless, Gamabunta did as she requested. Luring his opponent into a unpopulated area. Now it was time to wake the little troublemaker up.

"Naruko! Do you got a fanged clawed monster in mind?!"

"YEAH!"

"Than here we go!"

Chief toad sped towards the sand beast, who laughed.

_**~Henge!~**_

They disappeared in a puff of smoke, coming out as a snarling giant fox demon. Sasuke was amazed by the sudden transformation. "A fox?!"

Gamabunta sunk his teeth into his skin, using his claws to twist themselves into his back, completely pinning his arms. With their chakra finally used up, he transformed back into his real state.

"NOW!"

"YOU!" The blond jumped forth, and delivered a heavy blow to the slumbering redheads cheek, making his head rock to the side uncomfortably. "WAKE UP!"

"**NO! NO! I JUST GOT HERE!"** Shukaku whined.

Gaara awoke with menacing eyes, his face screwed up in anger.

Naruko kidded to a stop, this next hit will finally stop him. With a dash, she ignored the shifting sands beneath her feet… until she was unable to move. Looking down, both of her feet were sinking into the head of Gaara's monster form. A large gust of sand shot out at her.

Covering her eye's Naruko waited for pain, but nothing came. Boss toads tongue wrapped protectively around her, shielding any attacks that occurred outside. It was only for a short moment before Gaara figured out a different method to kill the girl. Sand began to build with the confined space, wrapping her legs in a vice grip.

Gamabunta's tongue retracted back into his mouth, finding no other way to save her.

"_Damnit! Why'd I have to be soo… so…"_ she blinked back tears.

Why'd she have to be so scared? Sasuke fought til his gave couldn't move… Sakura sacrificed herself to save him… so why was she so scared?

They gazed into one another's eyes. Naruko's pure fear, the emotion that swam in Gaara's….

"My exsistant will not cease!"

"_I get it now!"_

Eye's closed, a calm expression fell on her face. "…I get it now…" Chakra whipped and thrashed the air around her, making the sand float away in tiny specks. Pigtails pulled from their ties, her jacket ripped open from the force of power she built. A shiver ran up Gaara spine at the sheer look of hatred that gleamed in her blue orbs.

A rush of panic shot through him. "DIE!" she disappeared out of sight, but she would no doubt charge at him head first.

Naruko was now a mere inch away from him, her right fist only above her shoulder in a striking position. If he was to let go, the heavy blow would no doubt knock him completely unconscious. Her body shook in his hold, Gaara was having trouble keeping her at a distance. But she still push forward, hoping he would loosen his hold and give her the chance to get him with one mighty hit.

This was getting old fast, annoyance flash on her face. "YOU…" She threw her head back. "BASTARD!"

Skulls connected, Gaara's eye's dilated, blood dripped inside his open mouth, star's shattered in his eyes. The one head-butt caused a ripple through out his form. Pieces of himself fell off in chunks, sand dripped through the cracks.

Both teens fell to the ground, bloodied foreheads, and exhausted bodies.

Gamabunta smiled, this small loud girl was not a bad fighter. Gamakichi atop his head hopped for joy. "See pop?! She's a good one!" "…yes, a head-butt is not the most graceful attack… but she got the job done. Let's go home now." "Sure thing pop!"

Sasuke looked back and forth from the crumbling monster, to the slipping hand that pinned Sakura. It was unbelievable… his blond idiot had actually won.

Gamabunta's exit caused an explosion of wind and leaves, pushing both blond and redheaded teens in opposite directions. They landed painfully atop two tall protruding trees. Exhausted, but still willing to go on. Gaara and Naruko sat up into crouching positions, glaring at the other. "…I'm…finally at my limit… you are to… let's make this the last… and finally finish this.." she said between pants, a fox-like smile tugged at her lips.

Gaara answered with a glare.

They shakily stood, gathering the last bit of their chakra for this final attack. An explosion in the distance signaled their go.

Pushing off her right foot, Naruko leaped through the air; fist at her side. They wore the same feral expression as the other. But in the very last moment the blond dodged the boy's punch, and connected her own with the left side of his face.

They crashed into the ground below, Naruko on her stomach, and Gaara on his back. He had only enough strength left to painfully turn his head and stare at the girl, an answered question looking in his eyes.

"…_W…Why… is she so strong…?"_

Anger bubbled up inside him as he watched her crawled towards him. "I WON'T ALLOW MY EXISTANCE TO DISAPPEAR! I WILL KEEP LIVING! I WILL CONTINUE TO EXIST!" Naruko dragged her unmoving body to his side, laying directly beside him, gazing into his azure red rimmed orbs.

Tears glistened in her eyes as she struggled to raise her hand, using the palm to place on the side of his cheek. Gaara was frozen in shock. "The pain of being alone.. is not an easy one to bear… I… can understand your feelings.." her voice shook with emotion.

_Feared… being hated… questioning my existence. The worst thing in the world… is the sadness of being alone…. Not being wanted by anybody….. I can understand him… so well, that I'm reliving those days again... All he ever wanted was for someone to acknowledge him….. just like me._

_To acknowledge us… but he took the wrong path. Killing was his way of making sure he was still alive. I was saved by my teachers and friends. They acknowledged my existence, made me feel wanted. _

"I have people I want to protect… I will go to any lengths to make sure their not hurt." Gaara's face was screwed in frustrated confusion. "why? Why go so far for these people?" her expression softened and a smile tugged at the edge of her lip. Her fingers lightly brushed the kanji sign. "…cause I love them…"

Naruko knew she had to kill him, to make him stop all the bad things he was doing… He seemed like a piece of her, forgotten and lonely, begging to be loved. But she couldn't let herself get carried away. He hurt people, he would continue to hurt people… she had to end it all once and for all.

Pushing her forehead against his, she blocked his view of the kunai she took out of her pouch. "… Gaara… I acknowledge your existence… you don't have to be lonely anymore."

His eyes watered.


	58. A New Day In Konoha!

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! Everything belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!**

A New Day In Konoha

Gaara's body shook with tears, 9 years of pent emotion poured out at once. It would've been hard to believe that the two young teens laying side-by-side together were enemies.

Naruko gently cooed the crying teen, a comforting smile gracing her pretty features. How could someone have so much conviction and compassion? He wondered. It's impossible for a person like her to exist in this world. Although, a tender smile hid true intentions, Gaara couldn't help believe with all his heart… everything was true.

With the setting sun to her back, the kunai in her shaky hand cast a light to the trunk of a mossy tree.

She was nervous, or hesitant… he couldn't tell. A deep content sigh left his lungs, it's best not to see it coming, let be a surprise in the end. He rested his forehead against hers, eyelids shutting from exhaustion.

How could she do this when he wore an expression like that on his face? She had done something completely unexpected, surprising even herself.

With a soft thump, the weapon slipped from her grip. Arms pulled him flush against her in a tight desperate hug. Shoulders shaking in overwhelming frustration. _"…..She's strong… because she wants to protect loved ones….. I wonder…..could someone like me, also be a loved one… to such a person…?"_

Sasuke watched the entire scene below with barely hidden surprise. Was she not there when his village attacked theirs? When he pinned Sakura to a tree? They had just killed innocent people! And she was hugging the core problem of all of it! He leaped down and pulled the Uzumaki off the stunned red head. "Gaara!" his two siblings appeared as well. All three newcomers were glaring at each other. A fight was brewing between them.

"…that's enough, it's over…" A tear stained face portrayed no emotion, but the tone in his voice echoed in an empty shell.

Temari and Kankurou gave a last scornful look before flinging the exhausted boy over their shoulders and taking off into the forest. Several minutes of fast paced running, all three sand ninja were finally at a safe distance away from the leaf. "Tamari… Kankurou….. thank you….." both teens looked down at their little brother before looking at one another with strange expressions. His older brother speaking first, a small warm smile tugging at his lips "Don't worry about it Gaara…"

Sasuke scooped up his teammate, adjusting her so she was hanging off his back, arms encircling his neck. The position reminding him of a childhood mem-he shook his head irritably. Forget about stupid things from the past. His teammate needed medical attention.

Soft crunch of ground was their conversation, before the girl on his back decided to speak.

"…Sasuke…?" he didn't answer, she was gonna say something stupid; he just knew it. But the unusual soft tone in her voice indicated something serious."…hn" "….if… I didn't have you guys, do you think…I would… be just like… Gaara…?" and there was the stupid question, she never ceased to disappoint him.

"…Che'... idiot, you're too stupid to be like him…" he could feel her smile in the fabric of his shirt. It wasn't called comforting, but it made Naruko feel better all the same. "heh… thanks, sasuke…"

…..

2 days later….

The terrible news of the hokages death had hit the village like a storm. The skies were darkened with clouds. Sadness filled the hearts of every person in the village. Young and old attended the funeral, adorning the traditional funeral attire.

A beautiful ceremony took place, involving graduates of the ninja academy placing white roses on the third hokages casket. No one spoke, although hiccups and sobs were heard from the front row. Konohamaru was the youngest out of the entire group, losing his grandfather in a fierce battle had hit the boy hardest.

Naruko stood beside him, trying her best to stay calm and collected for the occasion. Although he was a major pain most times… she still had the strong urge to crouch down and hug the boy, but the occasion called for a mournful attitude, so she had to keep a professional composure.

Iruka bent over and gave him a comforting hug, trying his best to calm the hysterical child. Naruko was relieved her academy teacher was there.

Rain began to pour down. Blue eye's stared up at the sky in childlike wonder. Was the sky also sad for the third's passing?

Sasuke and Sakura looked at their teammate from one row behind. The expression on the intensely bandaged girls face was a mystery. Her back turned to them but her head directed into the sky. She must have been thinking of something wistful, like always.

…

Naruko couldn't keep being sad. The old man died a hero. There was nothing to be sad over anyway, instead she should be happy, happy to have known someone as courageous and genuine as him. So for the time being… she wanted to do mission's.

"What?! Are you serious? I can't do one itty-bitty little mission all on my own?!"

Iruka sighed, for now he was arranging the genin mission requests by himself. The Third won't be there anymore to help out like before. People had been coming in and out of the building, demanding this' or that' it was enough to drive anyone mad and right now he was seriously considering smacking a random old lady.

"I've told you before you need to get the consent of your squad leader, have him sign this form…" he said, handing her a paper. "…and come see me again okay?"

She begrudgingly took the piece of paper, muttering words like 'useless sensei' and 'stupid-scarecrow' under her breath.

"No-fun-Sensei! he's such a tight-wad!" Naruko practically shouted in the middle of the street, earning her some odd stares. _"…I haven't seen master Kakashi since the funeral! I have no clue where he is!"_ than a thought occurred to her. _"Ah! I know! Sasuke would know where that jerk is! I'll ask him where that scarecrow is!"_ she scampered off to where the Uchiha had said he would be that day.

It was funny how he complained about sweets so much, being too sweet or something lame like that... But today he has a hankering for dumplings… strange guy.

Once she got to the dumpling shop, a familiar head of purple hair caught in her peripherals. "…sensei Anko?" at hearing her name called said woman, lifted her head curiously. "well… if it ain't the cocky Naruko Uzumaki. How have ya been girlie?" she stuffed a dumpling into her mouth, waiting for the kid to answer.

"Fine! Right now I'm looking Sasuke! Do you know where he is?!" Anko cleaned her inner ear with the tip of her pinky, this kid wasn't much for small chit-chat. "Yeah, him and a girl with pink hair… they both went in that direction…" she pointed down the street to a crowded area. Naruko huffed and gave the woman a smile before racing off to find them. "…what a hyper kid, hmm… reminds me of…. Nah couldn't be..." the bored woman resumed her eating.

She finally found them, slowing down to a pleasant jog. Opening her mouth to call out to them, she was caught off guard when Sakura stumbled forward, right into the back of the Uchiha.

"Ah! I'm sorry Sasuke! You're not hurt are you?!" "..I'm fine." the black haired boy gave her a blank stare, wondering when she would finally get off him. Realizing that she was still clinging to him, Sakura quickly scrambled away from him. "Right, sorry about that!" Though, her inner-self was screaming to not let go.

"Hey! Sasuke Sakura! There you are!" she was going to kill Naruko for ruining the moment.

"Hn'… ditz.. something you want..?" Sasuke answered, quickly forgetting what just happened. "Yeah! I'm looking for Kakashi! Have ya seen him anywhere?!" they both looked at each other thinking the other would know. "Ahh… no I actually haven't seen him anywhere, now that you mention it…" Sakura was puzzled. It wasn't like their sensei to disappear for long periods of time… at least not without checking up on them from time to time. "…oh damnit.. I was trying to make him sign something… but…" her expression fell.

"…idiot… don't pout… give me the paper." Surprised, she did as told. With which Sasuke proceeded to sign the paper, smirking once finished. "… There, they won't be able to tell the difference now." the blond was a little skeptical. "Oh? And why's that?" he gave a shrug and tapped the side of his face, a smug smile in place. "I have Sharingan… I can copy his writing easily." She made a face before racing back to the Hokage's tower, leaving the two alone together once again.

His pink haired teammate turned to him with hearts in her eyes, hoping to pick up where they left off. "I know what you're doing Sakura… and I can't waste anymore of my training time on you and Naruko…" she was shot down.

It was a bit of time before he was out of sight, leaving her there to watch his back dejectedly. She would've felt better if her hyper teammate was there, like before. Bringing comedy and cheer to her rejected heart, but she wasn't. Exactly where did Sakura stand in this team of theirs?

"There you go, you tight-wad! Signed and everything! Now give me mission!" the girl barked happily. Iruka looked the paper over, nodding his head in approval.

"Good… okay then, here's your mission!"

"AWESOME!" she quickly grabbed the paper and read, her expression slowly turning sour. "Iruka sensei, what the hell is this?!" the man sighed, he knew this was going to happen. "Naruko, it's the only thing I can give you at the moment since you're still a-" "I know! But really?! You really expect me to do this?!" expressionless, he waited for her to cool down. "I'm sorry Naruko… but that's all we have for someone of your level. You can take it or leave it." There was no room for argument in his voice.

…a grumbled reply later…

"ah! N-Naruko! Y…you're here!" Hinata announced surprised. "Heeey Hinata… So you're here to, huh?" "Uh-huh, me… Shino and K-Kiba are taking this mission…" said boy's sat side-by-side on a nearby bench, waiting patiently for their teammate and unknown person to arrive. Naruko froze at the mention of Kiba's name. Memory of their awkward meeting still plagued her mind. Did they still remember that? Did they laugh when she walked away? These questions plagued her mind.

Now she **really **wished she said no…

…

"I see… so you three shrimp are our stuntmen?" An aging director gave them all disbelieving looks.

"That's right! Naruko Uzumaki and others at your service!" A blond girl proclaimed, grin stretching ear-to-ear.

The man seemed exhausted, bags under his eyes suggested a late night. Well, of course being a director of an upcoming movie would take its toll on the body… but this man was **really** worn out. Like a person had dragged him through 57 of Iruka sensei's lectures kind of worn out. He was glared at her now.

"What?!"

"Nothing!" she hastily replied. _"Sheez! What a grouch!"_

"Okay everyone, places! Stuntmen we'll get you when it's your queue!" People bustled and pushed, in a hurry to shoot the next scene. The four genin watched from the sidelines with interest. What exactly were they shooting?

"Okay! Scene one! Remember this is where the foreign princess get's captured! Annnd… ACT-!" "-NO! NO! NO! THIS IS NOT MY RIGHT COLOUR! I WANT A DIFFERENT WIG! NOW! OR I QUIT!"

The director was crying at this point. "What now?!"

"Sir! Miss Nitomi doesn't like the wig!" "But the princess is suppose-to be blond!" both men were hugging each other tears in their eyes. It would've been hysterical… if it wasn't so pathetic.

Kiba shot a glance at Naruko. _"She's blond… wonder what she'd look like as a princess…" _his hand and mouth moved on their own. "How bout Naruko be the princess?" Akamaru barked in agreement.

Both Hinata and Shino looked to their quizzical companion. "Y-You're not…worried?" the girl in question merely shrugged. "Nah, I'm a ninja not and actor they should know tha-" "THAT'S A BRILLIANT IDEA!" now they all knew this man was desperate.

Her jaw fell to the ground, all thought disappeared… except for one…

Kill Kiba.


	59. Foreign Princess

**Disclaimer: Remember! I own nothing! Belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!**

Foreign Princess…

"Goodbye Nitomi! Don't let the door hit you on the way out!" called out the director, a grin stretching from ear to ear.

"You'll hear from my Daddy!" Nitomi was unceremoniously tossed out the front door, screaming profanities at the movies crew. Set workers and co-actors all cheered in happiness. The four genin that stood off to the side wore dazed expressions. Just what the hell did they start?

"Alright! Get that girl into wardrobe!" The crazed old man was pointing a rolled up script at the shocked blond. In a short time, Naruko was surrounded by hordes of security men and movie stylists, all with the same creepy smiles. "W-Wait! I'm a ninja! Not an actor! A NINJA!" "You'll learn!" he shouted back.

"NO! WAIT-!"

She looked back at team 8, hopefully she'll get help from them. Hinata was pleasantly smiling with a wave, Shino was never the helping type, and Kiba was wearing a stunned expression… looks like there wasn't going to be any help from them. "DAMN YOU KIBA!"

Akamaru jumped from a top his hooded head, barking in excitement. Becoming bug eyed, he looked down at his companion. "I said what?! Oh man! Naruko's going to really hate me after this!" Shino silently agreed. "…you really messed up…."

"What kinda teammate are you?! You're suppose to help me! Or shut me up!"

"…..I'm a realist…."

"What does that have to do with anything?!"

Hinata successfully tuned out their bickering, the thought of Naruko in a big frilly pink dress and a deep scowl brought an amused smile to her face. _"…Poor Naruko…. At least Kiba will get what he wished for…."_

"Hinata?! You're here too?!" Tenten ran towards her smiling. "T-Tenten?! What are you doing here?!"

"Weird huh? I'm here as a boom operator…. Or whatever they call it! And Lee's a stunt double!" she answered half excitedly. But Hinata and her team had to wonder… someone looked enough like Lee for him to be a stunt double?

Her famous family eyes widened in realization, posture becoming slouched. "Is…. Is Neji… here as well?" Tenten tried a comforting smile. "Yeah… he is.. but, don't worry! Everything's going to be okay! He's an actor, so he won't be associated with the helping crew very much." She sighed in relief but was curious on his part of the movie. "Neji's… an actor?... which one is he?"

"Oh! He's the leading male character! I didn't really read his script… but I'm pretty sure he's a heroic farmboy that saves the foreign princess. Oh! That's right! That teen star Nitomi is such a brat. She told me I was-"

"About that… K-kiba got that mean girl.. fired." she said as an after-thought. Tenten smiled in self-victory, "Ha! Serves her right. I just hope her replacement isn't as-."

"Naruko's her replacement."

"What?!"

…

"GET OFF ME! DON'T MAKE ME HURT YOU!"

"Miss! Please don't struggle! We can't apply the-"

"I DON'T CARE! GET THAT STUFF AWAY FROM MY FACE!"

The overworked makeup artist's fought against the tiny girl's monstrous strength. Just where in the world did the director get _this_ girl? By nature, Nitomi wasn't exactly the most nicest person… but at least while they did her makeup she sat still and complained later, while this one was… wild. Yeah, that's the word.

"Uzumaki Naruko… you have no self-control, do you?" The thick venom dripping off every word was easily distinguishable.

"Neji…" she growled. Her momentary distraction was taken advantage of by the artists. In a swirl of powder, towels, and black inked sticks Naruko's face disappeared out of sight. Bending forward to hack the infernal dust of her lungs she was handed polished mirror. Naruko scrutinized her face closely, hoping she wouldn't notice a **huge** change… but found her facial features more… enhanced. For the first time in a long time, she felt pretty. Big blue orbs highlighted by a thin layer of eyeliner, lips a glossy pink, and her whiskers hidden beneath foundation, she could've lived without the foundation.

"…wow…"

"Well, do you like it?" they waited for her response nervously.

"I look…. Wow…." Her answer had the people in the room laughing. A heavy blush dusted her face in embarrassment. What were they laughing about? She was amazed at how pretty she was, did they think she looked weird or something?

"Why are they laughing?"

"Because you say ridiculous things…" Neji said with a light tint to his own face.

"Oh… Wait… are you blushing?"

"….I'm not… I'm just in a troublesome situation"

"And why's that?"

"I've been forced to dress up and prance about like an idiot."

After he had finished saying that Naruko had just noticed his outfit. Brown legging pants, topped with a green tunic. He looked almost like a…. fairy? Especially with those colorless eyes.

"Pft! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?!" His attire was quite a sight to see. Taking him serious in **anyway** was defiantly out, even the glare that threatened to rip her in half was laughed off.

"You're making a fool of yourself…" he said venomously.

"HAHAHA! SAY'S THE ONE IN TIGHTS! HAHAHAHA!" she continued to cackle.

The Uzumaki's laughter had finally died. Leaving the both of them in awkward silence… well, awkward to Neji, Naruko was just grinning happily. Guess there was an upside to being an actor. Seeing Neji in tights was one of them.

"Place's everyone! We start rolling in 5 minutes!"

Both teens were forced in the middle of the room, Naruko standing on a balcony while Neji rigidly stood behind fake bushes. A mousy man scurried to the blonds side, handing her a white piece of paper. "Miss, here are you're lines. Please read them." Doing as she was told her eyes skipped from word to word, her confused expression slowly twisting into one of ill. "Ahh… I really don't have to say these lines, do I?" His glasses flashed with all seriousness. "Yes"

"B-But I don't think I can-!"

Her shouts of protest were stamped out by the jarring voice of the directors megaphone.

"ACTION!"

"Princess! Hear me! The people in my village are being attacked! I pray you, please send help!" Wow, Neji's acting was really good. But Naruko herself wasn't as all out as him and was feeling pretty nervous right now. The sheen coat of perspiration on her forehead indicated so.

Not wanting to be outdone by the young male prodigy, she plastered on the most snobbish look she could muster. Judging from neji's slight smirk it must've come out as ridiculous, but she read her lines anyway.

"umm… A pleasant! How has thou found his way to me?! Do the gaurds lack discipline?! Must I cut salaries?!"

"But princess! My village cries out for your help! will you not find it in your heart to heed them?!"

"_WHAT IS THIS?! A DRAMA! UGH! I CAN'T KEEP UP WITH THIS GUY!" _

"I WILL NOT! I have far better things to attained."

…

And so act one was finished, to the relief of Naruko.

"Jeeze! This mission is embarrassing! And look at Neji over, acting like he's the best actor this world has ever seen!" she bared her complaints to Hinata, who smiled apologetically. "I-It's not so bad… at least we're not beat up… right?" "But I'm a ninja! I'm suppose-to be doing the beating!... this script needs a new change of direction…" The Hyuga didn't like the mischievous glint in her partner's eyes.

"Naruko you were great!" Kiba's praise went ignored, the girl was still sour about earlier. After all it was his fault she was in this situation in the first place. To further put salt on the wound Naruko turned to Hinata, a impassive expression on her whiskered face. "Did you hear something Hinata? I could've swore I heard something."

Kiba curled in the corner, animated tears rolling down his face _"me and my big mouth…" _ Akamaru at his side, placed a comforting paw on the teens thigh. Shino stayed silent through the whole event, not wanting to be the blond girl's next target of frustration. _"…Naruko's silence scares me…"_

…

"Great work everyone! Remember to be here by 10 am tomorrow!" the director dismissed all the workers as well as the actors.

Naruko was the most happiest person after hearing those words. She bounded happily towards to door to catch up with team 8 when she was caught by Neji.

"…. Naruko…"

"What?" eyes narrowed in suspicion. He never wanted to talk to her before, maybe he was just going to make fun of her.

"Did you read your script all the way through?"

"Yeah! I did!" she lied.

She pasted the academy without ever picking up a book, she wasn't gonna start now.

"I probably know them a lot better than you do!" her boasting was starting to sound a bit overused, but Neji just stared with those creepy eyes of his.

"So you're fine with how the movie ends?"

"Why shouldn't I be? Are you?! Not man enough to finish this movie?!"

That sentence seemed to have struck a nerve within him. "Che, fool!"

With his piece said, Neji stomped back to his team, angrier than before. But Naruko was grinning like a mad woman. Somehow she felt she had won that round.

…

"Naruko, I heard you've been on a mission with Hinata's team." Sakura questioned.

In all honesty, Naruko didn't feel like talking about that stupid mission at the moment, for now the thought of that ridiculous mission brought tremors to her spine.

"Uh… yeah, I do! But… it's ah…. Secret mission! Real elite stuff! Yeah!" why did she have to ask her about that stupid mission in the middle of lunch?! Sakura's questioning stare had her sweating, did she buy it?

"O…okay?"

Naruko sighed in relief once her partner had turned around. It was just…. taking a line here from Shikamaru, but 'troublsome'. Today was suppose-to be a happy day, a day off for everyone! That basically meant time to train and goof off! But somehow one topic alone could instantly sour the usually hyper girl's mood.

"Naruko! Did you hear me?!"

"Hunh? Sorry, what?" Sakura gave her a skeptic look. "You've been acting very strange since you took up that mission with Hinata's team… whats going on?"

This is what Naruko wanted to avoid, she couldn't bare to tell Sakura the truth… What if she told Sasuke! His signature smug smirk formed in her imagination, there was no way she would ever live it down!

"I-"

"Naruko! We have to go! They've rescheduled the shooting to today!" Kiba interrupted.

For once she was actually happy to see him… but he could've at least worded his sentence better. "Oh! Ah… really?…. Hmm. I suppose we should get going than!"

The teen boy was tackled to the ground and painfully dragged away from their confused comrade. Blinking owlishly, Sakura watched as both brunette and blond disappeared from her sight. _"odd.."_

A pair of blood red orbs narrowed from across the street, watching the whole scene with a glare. _"What is she hiding…."_

…

"Thanks for that Kiba! I really needn't to get out of there before she forced me to tell her!" Kiba's eyes brightened at her praise, but than his face fell.

"Naruko I'm sorry for what I did… it's my fault you're in this mess in the first place."

"Yeah is it."

His heart sank to his stomach at her agreement. Guess he did deserve it.

"But I'm still having fun! listen… I'm sorry for being a brat, I mean… you weren't thinking when you said it… I do that all the time and people still forgive me! So don't beat yourself up over it Kiba…. Just remember not to do it **ever** again!"

He quickly nodded his head, it was better to be in the girls good side than to be on the pointy end of her pike.

"Hey Kiba you okay?! Your insanely red! Are you sick?!" Suddenly her hands were touching his forehead, comparing it to her own temperature. Heart beating a mile a minute, mind going into a jumbled mess, Kiba found his skin tingling from her touch... how was she able to do all these things without even trying?

"Hmm… you're not burning up maybe you should go home thou-"

"No! I'm fine!" He protested, gaze fixed with determination. Her hands were tightly clutched in his bigger ones.

"Naruko!"

"Sasuke?!" Surprise written all over her face, but he was only glaring at the Inuzuka boy, who bit back with his own glare. Naruko slipped her hands free, to the displeasure of Kiba, and gave her team 7 companion a nervous smile.

"Ahh! Hey Sasuke… what are you doing here?" There was no use in her fake smile, he could see right through her guise.

"Tell me… what are you and dog breath over there doing on this special mission of yours?"

She was afraid he was going to ask that. He was the last person she wanted to know about this! Just how was she going to get him off her back….

**AN: AND DONE! …. That chapter…. Holy mother of all! That took a LOONNNNGGG TIME! Sorry for such a late update! I've been on the powwow trail for the past couple of months! I hadn't ever got the time to write any of my chapters yet…. But I hope I'll start up again since I'm back on the rez! Thank you all for being very patient! ^^**


	60. Foreign princess (end)

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! Everything belongs to its respective owner Masashi Kishimoto.**

Foreign Princess (end)

"Mind your own business Uchiha! This isn't any of your concern!" Akamaru barked in agreement with his owner.

A battle of glares was shared between the two teens. Naruko stood in the middle of the two, gnawing nervously on her lip. Just how exactly was she going to get out of this one?

"My _teammate_ dog breath, that automatically makes it my business." Sasuke retorted. It would be easy to just fry him and be done with this conversation, but he was curious on what his teammate's mission consisted of for her to act weird… well, more so than usual.

Naruko looked back and forth between the two. She had to defuse this troublesome situation before things escalated into anything worse. "HEY! WOULD YOU LOOK AT THE TIME!?" She glanced at a non-existent watch on her bare wrist. "Kiba! Didn't you say we had to be somewhere?! Well! See ya Sasuke! Busy, Busy!" In a whirl of grey and orange they were gone, leaving a scowling Uchiha behind.

"Man that was close! Sasuke just about found out!" she exhaled in relief. Kiba's mouth stretched into a wolfish grin, "That dumb Uchiha thinks he's so great! He was being so nosey in our business!" He let out a bark of laughter. Of course she didn't disagree with him, but also didn't say anything that involved bad mouthing her rival to another team. It felt betrayal enough to even be sneaking around her teammate's backs, insulting them would have to be the final push with having to be disgusted with herself.

"Lets… lets just go and do this movie!" She stomped away, suddenly annoyed. Kiba happily followed, he knew she wasn't upset with him but at the prospect of having to be in a fruity film. In all honesty Kiba found Naruko in a dress the most adorable thing he had ever seen… but he'd never voice that out loud. Too many terrible things could happen to him if the girl ever heard him say that.

Weeks went by, and the over-ecstatic Uzumaki would've been happy to announce that the shooting for the film was finally almost over, if not for her embarrassment in being part in the film.

She bounded onto set, fully dressed-with make up!-and a whole cheery disposition. Neji trudging behind a bit more slowly and shyly, but the happy girl didn't question it. Since it was her last day of shooting she was just going to breeze through the script and be out of there the moment the director says cut.

Hinata walked up to her, looking a little more red than usual and handed her the script. "N-Naruko? Um, You know you're li-lines right?" The smiling teen shook her head looking clueless. Her friends blush deepened into a more scarlet hue. "Um… maybe, you b-better read it."

Taking the white paper from her, her blue eyes skimmed over the words, only reading the most important things, her lines. "Piece of cake Hinata!" she handed it back, feeling full on confidence. The Hyuga rose a dark blue eyebrow at the still smiling girl and scurried away once the director called for all crew off the set.

A carriage was pulled in on set and Naruko took her place amongst the rows of brightly coloured flowers. Although she didn't have a chance to fully appreciate the beauty of them because her brain was in overdrive to remember her three last lines. An average mind some said, while others called her a little below.

"Action!" Flowers rained down on her as she to waved to the other actors, they were the commoners-she reminded herself-.

Her face fell away in shock once she spotted Neji plough through the crowds of people, trying to get to her. He reached out looking determined to get to her. "Princess! I have to tell you something!" Than this was where she was suppose-to say her first line.

"I told you!-"

"I don't care!" Neji said a little more forceful. She noticed he got a little more into these acting things than she did.

The director was on the edge of his chair, engrossed in the exchange of emotions shared between the two main actors. "That Naruko Uzumaki sure can act…" He quietly commented to one of his employees. "It's a good thing ninja's take things so seriously."

The man he was talking to leaned over to whisper into his ear. "Actually this ninja Naruko Uzumaki really just reads her lines once and does everything in one take." The old man's eyebrows shot up under his fedora hat, surprised. "Amazing!"

"I'm in love with you!" Neji was now also inside the carriage, crouched eye level with her. That last line caught her off guard,

"What?!" She was pulled into a closed mouth kissed, his hand gently resting behind her head. Naruko's mind burst with a thousand questions, but the one that seemed to stand out most was-_"WHAT THE HECK?!"_-

"CUT! IT WAS PERFECT!" all the crew and cast cried out in joy, having finally finished a movie that brought so many of them grief.

The Hyuga pulled away from Naruko and stared at the commotion with full on interest, anything to keep his eyes on anything but the teen that sat stock still in front of him. Jaw slacked, eyes wide, she was beyond stunned.

Neji noticed she hadn't moved for a good minute and faced her, trying to remain his uncaring cool appearance. "What? stop staring you gapping mouth moron." Even his usual demeaning remarks didn't make her move. Scoffing he stood up, ignoring the jelling feeling in his legs, and strode off set. Naruko was left on the carriage until Hinata came up behind, carrying a bucket of ice cold water. The chilling onslaught of water jolted the teen out of her shocked state.

"What?! What?! what's going on?!" her wet blond strands whipped back and forth with the frantic movement of her head.

"Uhh… everyone left.. and umm… w-we have to go to." Naruko scratched the back of her head feeling silly. "haha oops! I guess I was daydreaming huh?" she nodded, "Well let's go than!" She was about to go and change out of the soaked clothes when Hinata stopped her.

"N-Naruko?... umm.. d..do you remember how t-the movie ended?" she waited patiently as the blond thought this over.

"Hunh… you know what? I don't! It's like one complete blank!" she answered with a shrugged.

As she let her friend talk animatedly about random things Hinata mulled over the possibilities of the girls sudden loss of memory, but only one theory seemed to make the most of sense… she had successfully suppressed the memories of this whole day.

"Than we had Ramen! But not after…" Hinata discreetly giggled behind her hand, poor Naruko.

A few days after her mission ended things for team 7 slowly went back to normal. Two girls bickering none stop, a grumpy Uchiha complaining about their bickering, and a punctuality-challenged sensei, yep everything was right with the world again. It was almost as if those long agony filled weeks had never existed.

"We're doing a very special training exercise today!" The blond was the first to shoot up in the air pumping her fist. "Yeah! New training!" She exclaimed enthusiastically. The rest of them ignored her outburst, "Today we're going to be studying-" Naruko felt the blood drain from her face, both teammates noticed. "-emotions!"

The whole team was now looking at their sensei with a bit of skepticism, Sakura the first to voice their thoughts. "Emotions? Sensei?"

He nodded. "That's right! And what better way than with a movie!" all suspicion dissipated from the Haruno teens mind and she proceeded to bounce around the area happily, swinging the surprised Uzumaki.

Naruko tilted her head to the side, something was… off, about their sensei today, it felt a little disturbing. The crinkle in his eye looked to be little underlined with evil… Or maybe she was being too paranoid, shrugging she joined Sakura in a happy jig, getting them weird looks from both males.

"Ah! Now this is my kinda mission!" Team 7's pink haired female said in a cheery tone, reclining into her theater sit. This 'training' day might have been the best day in her entire life. Not only was this their first relaxing day… but it was also the closest thing she'd gotten to a date with Sasuke. The thought of being in a dimly lit cinema watching a romantic flick with her long-time crush brought her stomach aflutter. And the only down side to this was the bouncing hyper blond who sat to her left.

Being placed in-between her two teammates was wonderful and annoying, wonderful on the right, and annoying on the left.

"Man I can't wait until the movie starts! I heard it was great!" Naruko whispered excitedly.

Sasuke tried not to acknowledge any of them, too irritated at being dragged into it in the first place. He should've been **actually** training right now, instead of wasting time watching idiotic love shows with a couple of morons. The Uchiha contemplated on sneaking out undetected, but from the Kakashi's one-eyed smile he doubted that getting to the doors were going to be easy.

Several long minutes of trailers later and the movie had finally started.

Naruko sat half paying attention to the already boring introduction. –ruled by one spoiled princess!- Her head shot up in surprise, why did that sound so familiar?

Fairy-tail scenery, moving to zoom in on one lone figure sprawled out in a field. She immediately recognized Neji's farm boy character from their embarrassing mission. Big blue eyes widened in realization, "Oh no." she looked over her the heads of Sasuke and Sakura to find her sensei smiling mischievously behind his mask. Outline of the edge of his mouth reached up impossibly high to his eye, and for a second she was looking into the face of pure evil. She quickly sat up and tugged on Sakura's arm frantically "Agh! What Naruko? I'm trying to watch!" she whispered.

It was a good thing she didn't recognize the Hyuga just yet, with his makeup, contacts and short hair, she doubted anyone would get that that was Neji. "Let's go! I mean we're just wasting time watching a movie-when we should be training!" Naruko tried her best to not sound so anxious, but the volume of her voice carried.

"Quiet down in front!" someone yelled,

Sakura rose a pink eyebrow in question at her sudden behavior. It would look suspicious if she tried sneaking out now so she scratched her head nervously and reluctantly reclined back into her sit, glaring daggers at the head of white hair.

Sasuke looked inquisitively at the fidgeting girl and then back at the screen with more focus. This movie had something to do with her odd behavior and he was determined to find out what.

The main character was currently chasing down a carriage, with a very important figure he was suppose to talk to. Sasuke guessed it was a princess or someone with very high authority. So far, the Uchiha found nothing suspicious with the whole thing… until the princesses head whipped backwards and the camera got a close up of her surprised face.

Both Sasuke and Sakura's mouth slightly fell open, stunned at who played the very beautiful but bratty character. They looked to their left to find Naruko currently hiding in her oversized jacket, trying to escape from the shocked stares. She could feel them even through her thick layer of jacket; those wide eyes that asked so many questions without actually saying anything. It was embarrassing at having them see this when she was sitting right there. She didn't know that the movie was even out until now.

Feeling like they weren't going to get any answer from the blond they both proceeded to watch the film, finding it hard to focus with that one question crawling at the back of their minds. Naruko's in a movie?!

An hour and a half ticked by slowly, Sakura and Sasuke were too fixated on the screen to notice Naruko slithering out of her sit. She sensed the ending coming up and for an odd reason her body was moving on its own. Something in the back of her mind screaming at her to run.

"_I told you!-"_

"_I don't care!"_

A chill tight grip in stomach worsened as the ending rolled by, but she wouldn't have to deal with it for long with the theater doors barely a foot away. Soft piano music played as the last scene played, adding a romantic atmosphere. She was so close to freedom, she reached out her right hand and grasped the door handle and pulled… when a bigger gloved hand encased hers with a paralyzing grip.

"_I'm in love with you!" _the main character -Neji- kissed the princess -Naruko-.

People in the theater cheered as the screen faded out to black. Sakura was wiping at tears and smiling, her hands entwined with each other in front of her face. "Naruko… is such a good actor!"

Sasuke was gripping the arm rests with a dark look, killing intent radiating off him.

"You guys ready to go?" Kakashi stood in the walkway, suspending a very red Uzumaki in the air, showing her off for the team to see.

She was too embarrassed to meet their eyes so she covered her face with her hands. Her sensei chuckled, "Now you see what happens when you try to take on missions without my permission?" Sakura pounced on the blushing girl with a squeal, knocking her out of the hold of the jonin. "Oh Naruko! That was such a good movie! When's the next time you're going to star in another movie?!"

He got his answer… you become a movie star.

Her dainty hands slowly dropped from her face, suddenly inheriting Hinata's shy attitude. "I-It was?!"

"Yeah it was!" she chirped,

Naruko's face broke out in a grin, relieved that Sakura liked it, but was still humiliated at even being a part of it.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was still sitting in his sit that last part of the film running through his head a hundred times. He stood, not paying attention to the two laughing females and walked towards the projector's booth. He was on a self-proclaimed mission of his own now… and nothing would get in his way.

"Sir! Our movie flunked at the box offices!"

"What?! How's that possible?! It was a piece of art!" the director announced, looking stunned. His assistant shook his head in disbelief.

"Apparently someone dressed in black has been stealing all the films from the cinema's in town-and stopping any delivery truck that carries it!"

"Ha! That's okay! Cause I still carry the original! Whoever this person is can't stop this movie from going global!" he laughed manically, holding his most prized possession high above his head. The assistant back away slowly from the madman and his rant, and to think he's working his way to being a director someday.

The fluorescent lights turned off and on, and in the confusion the directors film disappeared. He scoped out the area and noticed an opened window. Racing for it he spotted a crouching black figure and shook his fist in anger. "You scoundrel! I will never stop making movies! Do you hear me?!" he blinked and it disappeared.

"Hey Sasuke! what'cha doin?!" Naruko skipped over and noticed his barrel of fire. He glanced at her out the corner of his eye and shrugged, hands still in pockets. "Nothing…"


	61. Itachi Uchiha!

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! Belong to Masashi Kishimoto!**

Itachi Uchiha!

A white haired busty woman sat up straight, ogling the two fine looking men that strode their way down the street. Her eye's traced their lean muscles up and down, savouring each rippling or flex.

To get his attention, she reached over once they were close enough and lightly smacked the one closest on the rear, earning her a deep scarlet blush. In return she gave the man a sultry wink.

"I see you still haven't given up on foolish things…" she turned to give the old man an uninterested look. "Homura Oichan, Koharu-sensei right? What does a committee advisor want with me?"

X~X~X~X

"So tell me Lady Jiraiya… how long has it been?" The jonin asked casually, leaning against a building railing.

The woman just inhaled on her pipe and crossed her arms, puffing out her chest even more. "I can't say… too long dear." The scenery laid out before them couldn't calm her aggravation she felt at the moment. "Kakashi… you've done well in training little Naruko, but I'm a afraid I'll be taking her from you now." His eye widened in shock at her proclamation, but he did not say anything, it wasn't his place to object against a Sennin.

"It was the role of the third generation to watch over Naruko… It was a good decision that the hokage made you watch over her. I guess someone was trying to get you involved as well."

Kakashi was a patient man, but this conversation felt like it was dragging. "What is it you wanted to tell me?"

Her somber expression never changed. "I have been following Orochimaru's movement since he left the village. That person will return to the village someday. Since its already clear that it's the beginning of something. At first, it was just about Orochimaru… but after a while an organization suddenly appeared, called the Akatsuki, consisting of 9 S-class criminal shinobi's." Her chest rose and fell with the drag of her pipe, expelling the fouling smelling cloud of smoke in the air. "…Itachi Uchiha is among them."

A cold chill shot up Kakashi's spin, once again he was too speechless to say anything. Lady Jiraiya took his silence as a sign to continue. "So far, they have been traveling from village-to-village gathering strong jutsu's…"

"And because the nine-tails has powerful chakra you think they'll be trailing Naruko."

"I don't know anything yet!" she snapped, "That girl's destiny is to live always watching her back, it a fate she was given at birth… I want you to watch over Sasuke, he needs to master his Sharingan, his brother is in that organization. I will take Naruko to the shinobi training ground and take care of her."

X~X~X~X

"Kakashi sensei! today I'm gonna learn chidori!" The little blond bellowed from across the room. Her teacher watched her with amusement as she struggled to concentrate on her hand.

"Sasuke? I wanted to thank you for saving me from Gaara." He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, expression blank as usual. "Don't, I didn't save you. Naruko did." Sakura grinned with a pretty blush dusting her cheeks. "Oh don't be so modest! I know she's become strong! But that's just ridiculous!"

He gave her a venomous glare, "It's the truth, she risked her life to save you." Sasuke whipped his head back over at Naruko, who was currently blowing on her smoky hand and showing it to her sensei with a breathtaking smile. Running over, she held both arms tight across her chest with a demanding glare. "Kakashi sensei won't teach me Chidori! Sasuke teach me!" His face cracked in a small smile, "Come on! I taught you how to tree climb! Now teach me!" she was right, he did ask for her help with that and she did teach him, or more like showed him the right way. "Hn, another day maybe…"

It annoyed him how people underestimated her sometimes, and he didn't know why. Every chance he had gotten in the past it was always his job to belittle the Uzumaki. His annoyance carried over well into his training. He'd beat on a training stump until it was nothing but splint's and covered in blood. Bare knuckles coated in a light sheen of bright red. Why was he so angry? Was he mad at Naruko? Sakura?

No… he was more or less frustrated with himself. His inability to protect his friends ate away at him, making him mad all over again. The dopey ditz flashed in his mind, her overwhelming power that filled the air and suffocated him the day they met that freak Orochimaru. He could see her sweet innocent image slipping away and becoming that fanged animalistic smirk he'd seen back in the forest, the memory made him shudder. But what frightened him most was the cold hard realization that he was useless to help her, his comrades sudden increase in power was something of a mystery. His own goal and strength seemed tiny and miniscule compared to hers.

"I need more power!"

X~X~X~X

"Nuh-uh! No way! I'm not going anywhere with you! you big hussy!" Lady Jiraiya's expression fell, as well as the cute orange halter she was holding out for the girl to take. "Aww… and here I had so many traveling outfits for us to wear!" She pouted, "I don't care! I don't wanna go on a cradle-robbing mission with you! I'm gonna get Kakashi sensei to teach me the chidori! I have to train!" she declared.

"Ah! But what if I told you? we're gonn meet a person who has a jutsu even more powerful than the chidori?! Not only that! This person is a long dear friend of mine!"

Her blue eye's sparkled with child-like amazement, dashing in the direction of her apartment Naruko called back to the sennin. "I'm coming! I'm coming! Don't you dare leave without me!" Jiraiya giggled behind her loosely clenched fist, _"Such an adorable brat!"_

"What are you doing?! You don't need to bring your whole house! We're just going on a trip!" She screeched at the girl, baffled at the large knapsack slung across her back.

X~X~X~X

"I know why you're here… Itachi." Kakashi felt the tug on his mind, his body pushed to the brink of exhaustion. He got no response, "You're after the nine-tails… aren't you?!" again no response.

"You and you're organization… the Akatsuki!"

Both Asume and Kunerai withheld a shocked gasps. They strained against the powerful urge to pry open their eyes and gaze into the threatening eye of the Uchiha.

His blood red eyes narrowed just a mite, not expecting him to actually know about the organization. "Kisame… take them out. They know too much.." His shark-like partner next to him removed the giant weapon from his back, preparing to strike.

The three Jonin waited for their end, inevitable fate at this point.

Kisame's attack was reflected back by a large green blur, knocking on him backwards. "I am Might Guy! Handsome devil of Konoha!"

X~X~X~X

"Hey! Hey! Hussy-sage!? What're you gonna teach me?! tell me!" her hyper disciple bounced around, annoying the older woman.

"Have you no respect girl?! I am a very important figure in the ninja world!" she snapped, Naruko rolled her eyes in mock belief, cracking a smile at the old woman's absurdity. "Suure you are…" she tried agreeing (not believing) to steer the conversation back to her training. But Jiraiya was too offended by the short girl's attitude to let it slid.

"And that's not all! From the four directions in all the countries, I am a well-known beauty! Men grovel at their feet just to gain a passing glance from me! Little girls you're age strive to be me! I am the world famous Lady Jirairya of the three legendary sennin!"

She turned away, no longer interested in their conversation if it didn't involve training. Her sennin of a sensei lagged behind, feeling dejectedly poor about her reputation.

"Hey? If you're this big legendary sennin… then why'd you agree to train me?" She looked up at her as they walked side-by-side. Those big sparkling blue eyes had the older woman remembering two face's from long ago. Big playful blue eyes and a cute blond expression, the girl was a million good things.

"You remind me of someone…" she said without thinking, but just kept walking.

Naruko only stopped momentarily in surprise than a giant grin split across her face. "Was it someone awesome?! I bet it was! especially if they had my face!"

X~X~X~X

"Kakashi…" Sasuke stopped, realizing that there was an unusual large number of jonin in his room. His Sensei laid unconsciously on his bed, all the shinobi were quiet, watching him with nervous eyes.

"What happened to-" another jonin rushed in, cutting him off mid-sentence. "Is it true that Itachi has returned to the village?! And he's chasing Naruto?!" All rational thought was pushed from his mind, replaced with a cold chilling fear in the pit of his stomach. He ran out, ignoring the protests from his higher-up's.

Considering how he hasn't seen Naruko today, he figured they had a full day head start. His only spot to stop and ask questions was the dimwitted blond girl's favourite place in the whole world.

"Hey! Did Naruko stop by here?!" Mr. Ichiraku turned to give the Uchiha an expression of surprise, not once did the young teen come to his stall without the annoying company of his best customer. "oh! Naruko? Yeah she stopped by here with an older woman with long white hair!" a blush darkened his face at the memory of the well-endowed woman. "Did they say where they were going?!" He was in a rush, and this old man was just wasting his time.

"Oh! Yeah, they said something about Inn-town or something lik-" He dashed from sight, leaving him with an unfinished sentence. "How rude! He could've at least stayed a while and ordered ramen!"

X~X~X~X

Naruko walked, feeling a little out of place.

Crowds of children run by her, whacking one another with little water balloons. She recognized the little bouncy items at once, a toy made for hyper active children. Unfortunately for her, growing up with no parents to buy her fun exciting things such as that would only lead to wistful watching. "Here." A round red water balloon blocked her sight of the stands. The hand of the owner smiled.

"wha-"

"You're gonna need this for training." She answered hastily,

Her mood immediately deflated, but she took it anyway. "Okay…"

Jiraiya turned her back on her, continuing their walk into the inn, where they ordered a room for the night. All the while her blond disciple never took her eyes off the little round object she held in her hand. Her preoccupied mind didn't register the large shadow the knocked her down. "Oh my goodness! Are you okay?" Naruko had to fight the flush of red that assaulted her face.

Strong jaw, tall, shoulder length hair, and hazel eyes looked down at her concerned. His large hand held out for her to take, to say the man was handsome would've been the greatest understatement of the year. "Ahh… umm… I-I'm fine!" she took his hand and with little-to-no effort pulled her to her full height. "Please let me-"

"Oh my! Are you okay sweetie?!" Jiraiya had her in a tight hug, practically smothering the young girl. "Oh! Is she you're daughter ma'am?" her looked at the two concerned. "No, my neice! But sometimes I feel like her mother… poor girl grew up with a learning disability. And now I'm all she has left."

"Please let me make it up to you." He asked desperately, the grown woman batted her eye lashes innocently and smiled. "Well, if you insist!"

"And your niece can-"

"Oh! It's way passed her bedtime! She has plenty of sleep she needs catching up on!"

And just like that, they were gone. The lone blond standing in the street, watching the two walk away, her frustration at this point immeasurable. _"That no good dirty cradle-robbing shrew!" _

X~X~X~X

"Damnit!" Sasuke cursed,

His long Non-stop sprint to Inn-town had taken him to a crowded street, district entrance bustling with hoards of on-going festive celebrators. "I need find their hotel!" He said to himself, not caring if people found him crazy. The guy was on a mission to find his comrade, plus, there was no way he was about to let the man escape without evening attempting to kill the bastard! _"Itachi… he's back, and he's after Naruko! Why?"_ he felt like he already knew the answer but the very thought seemed ridiculous.

There was no way he would come back just to kill the very last thing he held dear.

His first instinct was to find the closest inn and ask the clerk if he seen any people matching the blond girls description. First few buildings were a complete waste of time, until finally he arrived a place where the disinterested man said he vaguely remembered seeing two females matching the Uchiha's hurried description.

"Blond dizzy girl wearing orange? With an older woman with white hair?... you know? I think we did have two people like that. Here-" Sasuke took off in a flurry, leaving the shocked man to stand and stare at the spot he left.

He didn't knock, there wasn't enough time to be polite, not with **him** chasing after her. No, Sasuke brought fast hard fist's down on the wooden door, making it shake on its hinges.

X~X~X~X

"AGH! I'm so bored!" So looked around the room, half her clones had already fallen asleep. "Hey! Get up you lazy idiots!" Wow! Now **that** sounded like a certain brooding bastard she missed.

Before she could berate herself for evening thinking about missing her greatest rival, a knocking sounded at the door. Stepping over the bodies of herself, she made her way towards it, getting even more irritated at their insisted knocking. "Hold your horses! I'm coming! Geez…"

X~X~X~X

Once the door creaked open, Sasuke barged right in, ignoring the screams of fright calling from the other side. "Naruko!"

He was expecting to see fiery blue angry eyes glaring at him instead he got unfamiliar brown orbs widened in fear, a wizened old woman behind her smiling big and brightly.

This wasn't who he was looking for.

Once again he was in a mad sprint, aggravated that he wasted time on an idiot look-a-like.

X~X~X~X

"S-Sasuke?!" blood red iris's gazed blankly down at her. Naruko had to crane her neck just to stare into his eyes. _"He's not Sasuke…. who is he?!"_ her mind raced to find answers, not once in her life had she met the man that stood outside her door before.

"You're kidding me… this little thing is the vessel for the nine-tails?!" another unknown person appeared from behind the first, giving the girl a disbelieving look. Her mouth fell open in shock, just how did these two strangers know about her secret?

"Naruko… you're coming with us." The tone in his voice told her she had no other option, no… he wasn't giving her any other option. Her legs couldn't move, body shaking in fear. His eyes were hollow and bleak, considering that they were red and coma's lined the irises.

"Let's chop her legs off!" The blue shark man exclaimed. "I mean, we don't want her running off now do we?" How could he ask something so gruesome and terrifying with so much giddiness? She knew they sick, and knew she couldn't outrun them.

For a while they waited for the black haired man to say something, tell his partner no, or even yes! But his eyes rolled sideways, away from the two. "It's been a long time… Sasuke."

Naruko's dead whipped in that direction, her fear must've been clearly evident on her face because the young Uchiha's lip curled upwards in a sneer, rage boiling over. "Itachi Uchiha… I'm going to kill you!"


	62. An Uchiha's Memory

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything! belong to Masashi Kishimoto!**

Old memories of an Uchiha…

_**Itachi lived happily, an unborn brother on its way brought feelings of immense joy to the young boy. His small pale face was permanently printed with an ear-to-ear grin. **_

"_**Oh my goodness! Your belly is soo huge!" the young Uchiha prodigy could hear his mother chuckle, "Well, Sasuke is going to be born in a few weeks. You're going to be as big as me Kushina!" the other woman giggled as well. "I guess your right! I can't wait to meet little Sasuke!" Becoming curious, the boy made his way towards their living room. It was unusual for his mother to have visitors. **_

_**Itachi walked into the room, gaining his mother's attention. Her eyes widened in realization, "Oh, Itachi, back from school early? Come here and meet my friend!" He had never seen his mother this… 'giddy' before. **_

_**The young boy couldn't tear his gaze away from the long cascade of red flowing hair that was seated comfortably in the middle of the room. The owner of the unusually colored hair turned, her face soft and glowing. Itachi's face burst in heat, the woman was very beautiful. Sparkling sea blue eyes flashed with excitement at seeing the boy. "Hi there Itachi! I'm Kushina!" she reached her hand out for a hand shake.**_

_**He had no clue why his heart was pounding against his ribcage, hopefully the beautiful woman can't hear it. His smaller hand fit in her long slender one perfectly, the contact further reddening his face. "You look very strong!" she told him, causing the boy to further blush (if possible).**_

_**She looked down curiously at their connected hands, noticing his hesitance to let go. Realizing his behavior the boy pulled away, as if on fire, and gazed down at the ground. "It's nice to meet you…" he muttered. **_

_**Kushina brought her right hand up and rested it nervously behind her head. "Such manners! No doubt you'll be one hell of a husband for some lucky girl!" his mother cut in at this. "I think it's a little early for that right now Kushina!" **_

"_**I bet you, Sasuke, and my son will be best friends!" she was getting ahead of herself but the look in her eyes was sparkling with certainty. "Itachi?" he turned to his mother. "Could you go to the store for some tomatoes?" Her friend shot her a look of disbelief. "You hate tomatoes!" **_

_**Complying without another word, Itachi stood on the threshold, giving the incredibly beautiful woman one last dazed look.**_

Itachi could feel his heart pounding against his rib cage, just like all those years ago when he had met **that** woman. Her face was round and soft, just like hers, big sea blue eyes sparkling and beautiful. _"She looks just like her…"_ he thought to himself.

His face was hidden behind his upturned collar, the slightly parted lips went unnoticed by those around him.

"You're kidding me… this little thing is the vessel for the nine-tails?!" Kisame hollered, pulling him back to reality. That's right, they were here for a task… not reliving old memories. Unfortunate as it may be, but the girl was an important piece to their plan.

"Naruko… you're coming with us." Itachi sensed a familiar presence speeding up from around the corner, looks like he never got out of that habit of pressing too heavily on his big toe. He ignored his shark-like companion as he suggested 'chopping' the girls legs off… he was fast now, but not as fast as he should be.

"It's been a long time… Sasuke."

The younger Uchiha shook, radiating with hatred, and the object of his animosity only a stretch of distance away. "Itachi Uchiha… I'm going to kill you!"

"Hey… this kid looks familiar, who is he?" his partner commented,

"He's… my younger brother." He replied, earning him a surprised look. "No kidding? Here I thought all the Uchiha's were wiped out… by you no less."

"_**Why Itachi?!" Sasuke's screamed at the top of his lungs, hoping to reach his brother. But he just turned to the two bodies sprawled on the ground, staring with unblinking Sharingan eyes. **_

"_**To test my abilities…" was his hollow answer, **_

_**His nails bit into the palms of his fist, teeth clenching together in an outright rage. His younger brother charged at him for an attack. "THAT'S BULLSHIT!" Itachi appeared in front of him and delivered a winding blow to the boy's stomach, making him curl around his fist. Spit drooled from his mouth, his eyesight blackened for a mere second. **_

_**Sasuke slid to the ground, cradling his stomach with both arms. He gasped for breathe while he stared into his parents wide lifeless eyes. "… I don't wanna die!" he got out. Climbing to his feet Sasuke ran as fast as his legs could. "I don't wanna die! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!"**_

"_**Live a coward's life little brother. Live only to hate and kill me…"**_

Sasuke could still feel the harsh beating of rain against his skin, and the memory of his brothers black silhouette against the white of the moon. Those blood red glowing eyes that watched him run that night, would always be fresh in his mind.

"My entire life I've been hating you…. and I've lived only to kill you Itachi Uchiha!" lightning cracked in his right palm, Itachi immediately recognized the jutsu as Kakashi's Chidori, but he remained unfazed without emotion.

Naruko watched the entire scene play out from threshold of her hotel room, the man's presence too intense and suffocating to move. Her teammate was so overcome with rage he barely realized he was dragging his electricity filled hand against the hallway wall, craving a jagged straight line towards the group. From the look and size of the attack, it was as though nothing could stop the younger Uchiha as he barreled his way towards them, uncontrolled and haphazardly.

Itachi slipped his hand from his robe and grabbed Sasuke's wrist, pushing it against the wall and causing an explosion to blow a large hole in its place. Naruko was baffled by the elegance and speed the older brother had shown, Sasuke's attack should've obliterated him to nothing… but this guy, just redirected it without even batting an eyelash! He was much stronger than the ninja's they've faced up-till-now.

Shaky tanned hands came up to form a handsign, and gathered all the chakra her frazzled mind could, now as about the time to do something; instead of standing around looking like an idiot. Both of her would-be captors stared in amazement at the amount of chakra the tiny girl was able to muster. _"So this is the power of the nine-tails… its-"_ "-Amazing isn't it?" Kisame finished for him, reaching for the wrapped weapon on his back.

In one consecutive swipe, Naruko's body was pulled towards the area that was sliced, her body suddenly drained of her chakra. "Wh-What the?!" She searched to find the source of the suction her large frightened eyes landing on the man's sharped tooth grin. "This is my Samehada… it eats chakra."

"**Run you ditz!-Guuh!**" Sasuke warning was gurgled by his own cry of pain once Itachi's grip tightened, successfully breaking it in two places. "You're in the way… grab her."

"Sasuke!" Naruko reached out in a panic towards his direction, a subconscious cry for help. "I'll just chop a leg off so you don't try to run." He lifted his weapon to her nose, emphasizing his meaning.

"How unattractive! Threatening a girl with a sword!" Lady Jiraiya's soft spoke voice called out. Suddenly she was standing behind her student, the handsome stranger from earlier leaning heavily on her shoulder conscious.

"Ha! What an unmanly thing to do, casting a genjutsu on this handsome fellow to boot. I could tell the moment I laid eyes on him." Her cool façade didn't fool the people around her.

"THAT'S THE BIGGEST BULL I'VE EVER HEARD! You were falling all over yourself trying to get around him! So don't go trying to act cool and classy you Hussy sennin!" that comment didn't sit well with the older woman, face flushing in embarrassment. "YOU LITTLE BRAT! Don't call me that in front of others!"

Sasuke groaned in pain, watching the two fight amongst each other in the middle of an important battle. _"Great… there's two idiots…"_

"One of the great legendary sennin… Lady Jiraiya. You have already undone the Genjutsu on the man." The woman's pale face became somber, all embarrassment gone. "You know… you could've used Itachi to distract me as well." They didn't reply to her mocking demeanor, "… so you and your organization are after Naruko all along then."

The blond in question went bug-eyed at the last statement. Were they after the nine-tails? Was why the blue guy mentioned it earlier?! Her mind was on information overload.

Their silence confirmed her theory. "You won't get to her…" "why not?" Itachi challenged, but she wasn't now to threaten lightly. "Cause I'm going to kill the both of you before you can even lay a hand on her…" she growled.

For a split second his blood red eyes flitted the gawking blond, her expression burning into his memories. _"She looks… just like her." _

"Don't do it!" Sasuke's form rose from the white tiled ground, blood staining the ground beneath. "This guy is **mine**!" his brother glanced at him out the corner of his eye, disinterest filling his voice. "I don't have time for cowards." Without another word, he spun on his foot and sent his sibling flying hard down the hall into the wall. "Gawah!"

"Sasuke!" Naruko glared murderously at Itachi, "Leave him alone! It's me you want!" he was just about to turn back over to her when her rival's voice boomed over to them. "Naruko shut up!"

Lady Jiraiya's face hardened in concentration. Looks like the boy was a stubborn one… just like…

"I told you this guy is mine! He's taken everything dear to me, and I'll die before he takes another!" her anger at her comrade died, leaving her confused at his last sentence. _"Everything… dear?"_

Suddenly the older Uchiha was in front of Sasuke, staring down with no emotions or words. His mouth opened and yelled at the towering man. "Come on!" The blond girl watched as her friend was beaten further into the wall, following his demands not to interfere.

But with every strike, she was forced to bite her lip and dig her nails into her palms, willing the body to stay put.

Finally after what felt like an eternity of punches and knees to the stomach, his body fell limp in the man's grasp. He could tell he was on the verge of unconsciousness. So Itachi gripped the teens throat and made him gaze into his eyes.

Sasuke's face twisted in anguish and pain, his pupil's becoming minuscule. "ARRRGGGHHH!"

All resolve broke causing the teen Uzumaki to take sprint in their direction, jumping up and pulling her fist back for a punch. But instead of him ducking like she hoped he would, she found rough calloused hands gripping her fist. Panic built inside her, she feared this psycho was going to break her hand just like Sasuke's. What he did came as a shock.

Right hand still tightly gripping his little brothers throat. Itachi ran his thumb across her knuckles, making her look up at him with large confused eyes. Sharingan deactivated eyes were softened in a tender look. Unnoticeable sweat beaded down the side of his face, but all he cared about were those wide dark sea eyes that stared at him. Naruko wanted to rip her hand out of his grasp, but fear knotted in her stomach at the thought of him easily snapping her friend's neck.

_**Ninpou-Gama Guchi Shibari!**_

White tiles beneath their feet morphed and twisted into slimy bubbly pink texture, its exterior reminding the blond a lot of the times she would stare into the mirror and open her mouth in a silly expression.

Turning to her mentor, she found the hussy-sennin crouched low to the ground her hands on the surface of a summoning scroll. "It looks like you boys will die here in **Iwagama's **stomach!"

"Kisame come!"

The teen girl turned back around to find both Akatsuki members dashing for an exit, Kisame already unsheathing his weapon and hacking at a nearby wall. His slice immediately stopped the flow of chakra to form the wall, giving them an escape route.

Just as her disciple made a slight movement to follow, Jiraiya's voice cut through the hallway/stomach's squashing noises. "Don't make a move! Or it'll digest you!"

Minutes passed by, leaving the older woman to believe the two abductors were gone. From the looks for Itachi he didn't seem to be in any good shape, probably from over using his most powerful Sharingan against his brother and earlier on Kakashi.

They caught a lucky break.

"Sasuke!? wake up! Sasuke!" Naruko was kneeling next to her teammate, lightly slapping his face between her dainty hands. "What's wrong with him!?" she asked, hoping the old woman would have an answer. "He took a lot of mental damage Naruko…"

_**Dynamic Entry!**_

Gai swooped in, kicking legendary sennin Jiraiya sideways with his signature move.

"Again I'm sorry Lady Jiraiya! I didn't have a clear view, so I thought you were an enemy!" Gai beseeched to the growling woman, who now adorned a black eye.

"Yeah well, next time why don't you exercise more caution?! My beautiful face is ruined!" Naruko rolled her eyes at her overdramatic behavior.

He bowed again in regret "Please forgive me!" She crossed her arms over her chest and pointed her nose in the air muttering a "fine".

"And I ask that you bring Lord Tsunade back to us!" Suddenly overcome with boredom Jiraiya swatted her hand back and forth, as if remembering the irritating task. "Yeah, Yeah… he's such a bore."

Naruko ignored the conversation and held her eyes firming on the unconscious Uchiha slung carefully on Gai's back. Noticing her disheartened expression her mentor reached over and ruffled her hair, "Once we bring Tsunade back, your boyfriend will be the first person he helps!"

Her face burst in a heat wave of red. "He's not my boyfriend! He's my friend! And I don't like to see my friends hurt!" she bellowed, but the woman just chuckled and nodded her head. "Okay than…"


	63. Legendary!

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing, still belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

Legendary!

"Get off me Shizuno! I was just about to score the big win! Get off! I said get off!" the hulky drunk man screamed, flailing his giant arms in the slot machines direction. His slim assistant pulled a nervous expression at his antics, struggling the bigger mans weight. Great… people were watching them leave.

"I think you've had enough Lord Tsunade." He tried reasoning, but the older male didn't get his name 'stubborn prince' for nothing. "Shizino! I command you to stop commanding me to do things!" was his drunk slur. The mousy helper just shook his head with a nervous chuckle. "My lord, I think you need to rest." He was answered with a loud induced alcohol snore."Snore! Snore!…. More Snore … sake..Snore"

"heheh… oh goody, now how am I going to get you back to the hotel?"

X~X~X~X

"… _**so you and your organization are after Naruko all along then."**_

That's what Jiraiya had said, of course she was right.. but it was a such an enormous shocker that Naruko was still recovering from it.

"What is it?" came a bored drawl.

Her hand unconsciously gripped her stomach, the spot of her seal. "This thing… What is this thing anyway?" she asked, her tone distant and dull. "This… **monster** attacked Konoha, that's why everyone's scared of it. But why did those guys want it?"

"The nine-tails is indeed a monster. It's been appearing age after age, a demon hell bent of destruction. People of old feared it… but as for why this 'Akatsuki' organization would want you… I'm guessing it's to harness that destructive power." Jiraiya couldn't see the young girls expression behind her shadowing hair, but figured she was feeling scared. It was understable, she would've been terrified of a gang of S-rank criminals out to get her as well. "You'll be having to watch your back for the rest of your life, but I'll be there to protect you so don't-"

"And that's exactly why I have to get stronger." There was that strength in her eyes, burning brightly for all to see. "So let's hurry up and find this Tsunade person! He'll fix Sasuke, and we can finally start training!"

The Toad sage's bright red lips quirked upwards in a smile, she found the hyper child's attitude adorable. _"That's Naruko for ya…"_

A thought struck the young blond. "Oh! Is this Tsunade dude one of the 'three legendary salami'?" Her mentor snapped "Sanin! **Sanin!** you ignorant little twit!... and yes."

Ignoring her clearly unjustified outburst Naruko continued with her inquiries. "Than how old is he?"

"My age!" she chirped,

"He's ooold than."

"**Why you little!"**

(A few moments later…)

"So what's this Tsunade guy like?" Naruko asked, finally feeling the lump on the top of her start to go down.

Jiraiya had to think, trying to find the best way to describe her old teammate. "Well… he's a bit annoying, a compulsive gambler and drinker he's well known as the legendary sucker."

"Legendary sucker?" that was a curious nick name.

"It's because the idiot has no talent or luck when it comes to gambling, but… he always keeps on gambling, always been a stubborn man… people used to call him 'stubborn prince' when we were younger, sure he was a looker, but a 'prince' is just pushing it." She didn't notice she was rambling or just didn't seem to care, but Naruko had never seen that expression on her face before. Clear annoyance knitted with nostalgic happiness, it was a look that suited her age.

"Um… is that good or bad?" she was confused whether the man was nice or mean and the way Jiraiya was imaging him made him out to be lazy, "It's annoying, but other than that he's an amazing medical ninja." Naruko decided it was better to just accept that the guy was good and leave it at that.

"Wow! I've never seen so many people before!" bustles of people rushed the streets, stalls and vendors of festival games lining the pathway. Her giant blue eyes took in the extravagant scenery with excitement. Lady Jiraiya smiled at the girl's expression, "This'll be a break before the training begins. And until the festival is over… we'll stay here for now and do the training here as well!"

"YEAH!" she yelled excitedly, no one was paying attention though because of the festivities that surrounded them, what was one excited screaming child to the other?

"So what are we gonna do first?!" That caught the toad summoner off guard, but didn't let it show on her face. "Ehh... well you see, I gotta prepare a bunch a things for your training! So you probably won't see me until tomorrow morning! Yeah, so you go and have fun!" and just like that, she was gone. "Oh well! She said to have fun! So that's what I'm going to do!….." she hesitant to turn and walked away but she did, hoping to find a fun game to get her mind off the guilt she felt.

Of course she couldn't take her mind off her mentor. After a full hour of doing just about everything she's always wanted to do since she was four, Naruko finally realized it was useless to try and cheer herself up. While she played and had fun, Jiraiya was working her butt-off doing god-knows-what… for **her**!

So, out of the 'kindness' of her heart she finally broke down and bought two dumplings, best in the nation-what the man said. It was pretty easy to get her whereabouts with such an outrageous and scantly attire. All-in-all her search for the woman had taken her to a rowdy area in the festival, men grabbing at the dumplings as her head bobbed through the sea of bodies. It was difficult to fight off drunk idiots from trying to take her food, but she persevered. Thinking if the old woman could handle these types of people than so can she.

"Hey old woman!-" A light red hue lit her face in humiliation. "WHAT THE HELL?!" Jiraiya's head lolled backwards over a couch, finding her favourite little person with sweets. "Oh! Hey Naruko! Aww that's soo sweet of you to-"

"WHAT THE HELL?!" she repeated, clearly the woman was too intoxicated to notice the intimate position she had currently seated herself in. The two young men currently being used as couch cushions smiled at the newcomer with sheepish drunk looks. Of course she would go for a couple of dimwitted **young** virgins, they must've been the easiest for her to catch in this slew of handsome men.

"What?.." it took her a couple seconds to finally get her meaning, "Oh! I umm… ah! It's all for-"

"THAT'S BULL! WHY'D I BELIEVE YOU?! YOU CRADDLE-ROBBING HAG!" Naruko unknowingly tossed the two sweets, not caring where they landed. Unfortunately for her… she should've.

"Hey! Brat with the mouth! You dirtied my boss's suit!" turning to the one who called, she found two smartly dressed business-like men, both wearing black sunglasses inside. It took a bit of self-restraint to not roll her eyes at her last thought. "Oh… umm sorry? I'll pay for it. How much?" the one standing behind the bigger man smirked. "100,000…"

She nodded her head, trying to think of how much money left she had before what he said finally sunk in. "W-WHAT?! I don't have that kind of money! There's no way I can pay for that in one night!"

"Than you're in luck! My boss owns a nice little 'restaurant' that's looking for young pretty little workers! With a unique face like yours we could get a bit of variety!" she was-**not** liking where this conversation was going.

"Tell me something…"Jiraiya interrupted their little shake down. "Exactly how much girls have you **employed**?" They gave her a nervous look, expecting her to be a cop of some kind, but one look at her lewd and alcoholic state relieved any suspicion. In this town no serious peacekeeper would act so provocatively without risking their precious reputation. "Mind you own business, nosy woman."

"You wanna know what I hate more than people threatening young girls?" she reminded Naruko of their earlier encounter with the two Akatsuki abductors, when she stopped Kisame from taking a leg. "…People who trick girls." A bright blue ball of chakra spun wildly in her right hand. Naruko was the only to see the woman's movements when she stuck her hand between the two men, causing both to flip uncontrollably backwards and out onto the street. Smashing an innocent merchant's stall to pieces.

The blond was stunned in complete awe. Eyes wide, mouth slightly hung ajar. Well now… that was unexpected.

"m-m-my stall!" the owner babbled, Jiraiya sluggishly tittered back around to look at him. "Oh… yeah, I'll pay for that… umm can I have the water balloons?"

X~X~X~X

"Alright kiddy! Training day one begins! Got that water balloon I gave you before?" she nodded, presenting it to her. "Right!" her fingers clutched the rubber exterior lightly, not applying to much pressure. But none-the-less it burst in her hand. "Did you see what I did?"

"Wow! That was amazing! Tell me how you did it!" Naruko was bounding happily in one spot, like an excited child.

Jiraiya smiled softly. "Do you remember the water walking? How you concentrated a certain amount of chakra to one place?... well it's the same basic idea, but this time it's much smaller and theirs more spinning involved. Look…" Naruko looked curious down at hand finding the palm with a black swirl in the middle. "It helps me concentrate. "

Warm bright light splashed across the ground at their feet. Naruko had to untangle herself from the older woman's arms and legs to sit up. This new day was already annoying and painful. A trebly weak hand rose to brush the static hair from her face. "Get up you old shrew… I'm hungry." She poked and shook, but was an in vain, the woman was a deep sleeper.

"Fine than… I'm going to the bathroom."

Jiraiya pried an eye open to watch her leave and heaved a heavy sigh _"Ugh… look at that hair… I'm gonna have to teach her how to brush that hair."_

Naruko was halfway to the bathroom when she noticed a black cat cross her path, of course she was never a superstitious person; she just hated cats. The moment it laid it's eyes on her the ugly little creature's back arched and hissed. A glared knitted her brow and she let out her own little animalistic growl. "Grr stupid cat! Go away why don't cha!"

Its eyes gleams and caught sight of a something much more interesting than her, without warning it pounced near her feet nearly making her jump in fright. "GAACK! STUPID CAT LEAVE ME ALONE!" she barked,

She wasn't expecting to find the dumb feline to be rolling around on the ground… with her training balloon?!

"Hey! Hey you dumb cat that's not a toy! I need that for training." Naruko watched with irritation as it swatted at **her** water balloon back and forth between its paw, right up until it burst in an explosion of weird smelling water, soaking the cat from head to toe. It seemed to understand her laughter and launched itself at her, using her face as its own scratching post. "Ahhh! I just laughing! It's your own fault for being stupid!" the tiny creature didn't like the tone of her voice and double its efforts in making her feel pain.

X~X~X~X

"So what's with the new look?" Jiraiya questioned, although she wasn't interested in the first place. But Naruko answered none-the-less. "A cat got mad at me for laughing at him!" did she sound happy?

"Well… okay than, I hope you've had your fun. Cause this is where all the fun and games come to and end. And the serious training begins…"


	64. The Necklace Of Death

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! Everything belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

The Necklace Of Death

"Are you okay M'lord? Your luck is finally turning around for the better! You should be happy." Shizuno stated happily, he found the older man's silent behavior rather odd. Tsuade face his shorter traveling companion, face nothing but hard lines and a face as blank as a sheet of paper-but the young man was so accustomed to the look to place it as anything but 'sober-master'.

"I have a bad feeling about this place, let's hurry up and leave-"

"What?! but it's such a beautiful city! Maybe we can leave after a bit of sightseeing?" he sighed, there was never any use arguing with him once he got this excited.

"Fine, we'll take a look around than we'll leave ASAP!"

The castle of Tanzuka stood tall and proud its condition had been preserved thoroughly by the village. While Shizuno admired it's ancient beauty while Tsunade couldn't help shake the anxiety he felt and it only built the longer they stayed. "Such a magnificent sight! wouldn't you agree lord Tsunade?!" his attendant declared eagerly.

The old man scratched the gruff of his stubble, looking at it once. "We've seen the building. Let's leave now." he didn't give the towering structure a second thought. His senses were on high alert, watching the tiniest movement that dared scurry across his peripheral vision. "My lord, It's not so bad just re-"

An explosion erupted, shattering the peaceful atmosphere they were in not too long ago. Its power forced both the men to take a single take back. Stunned, they gazed up through the plumes of smoke to find a giant serpent with predatory eyes staring directly down at them-it's tongue making an appearance every so often. The snake had surprised them sure… but Tsunade was more focused on what was on its head rather than the creature itself.

Two lone figures jumped down from their perch and landed in from of them. Orochimaru's smiled seemed to be a bit painful to make, but it still held it's hidden cocky smugness. "It's been a long time Orochimaru." Tsunade greeted,

"I've been looking for you."

"Now what would you want with me? obviously we're not the type for men to be sitting around reminiscing about the **good old days**." The air was frail, one wrong move and an all-out fight between the two parties would ensue. Shizuno was finding it hard not to glare under all this tension.

"I've come to ask you a small favour." Tsunade's solid hazel eyes analyed him, erratic heartbeat, feverish pale sweaty features, accelerating fatigue, but he was more curious of the arm's than anything else. A sickness? No, he couldn't find any tell-tale signs of any known sickness on his skin or in his eyes. It had to be a special jutsu that was causing him pain, not like it was his problem though…

"Get lost, I've resigned from medical treatment." A fire lit behind his eyes, angry and scorching to those who dare get in his way. The look earned him a smirk from his once comrade-in-arms.

"Kabuto spoke this time, urgency in his voice. "We can't… only you can heal this type of wound as a medical specialist that's part of the three legendary Sennin. There's no one else that can do it." The man's eyes wandered to the trembling heavily bandaged hands. "What caused it?" he asked suspiciously.

"I got careless when I was killing the third hokage…" Shizuno looked shell-shocked in disbelief while Tsunade's jaw clenched in anger, upper lip pulling back in a sneer. "Now, now, don't make such a scary face, things that have a form will decay someday… same goes for people. You should know… both the people you loved the most are both **dead**. Ahh yes what cruel ways to die indeed-"

Before his flapping mouth could utter anymore words, Shizuno had thrown himself in front of his master's path, eyes wide and crazed. His sleeve was rolled to the elbow, a tiny device was hidden beneath his clothes with five silvery strings dangling from the back. Kabuto was in a defensive in front of his master, he had sensed the attack and acted just as fast. Though when he examined the tiny weapons he held just a few centimeters from his face, he was surprised to find them coated with a deadly poisonous chemical. The two sized one another up in case of a fight. They looked to be each others equal, physical.

"Calm down Shizuno… you're still you're same old self Orochimaru." He smiled and pulled out a bottle of sake, in no time it was gone in one gulp. "You know you shouldn't have said that." A dark scowl shadowed his expression. The temperature dropped just a notch. His hand went backwards and lightly laid itself against the wall. All he had to do was give it a slight push and the entire section of concrete exploded into nothing but large chunks of rumble and clouds of dust. "Because now I'm going to kill you!"

X~X~X~X

"Hey kid."

_**~inhale~**__ Just ignore him… concentrate… just concentrate… __**~exhale~**_

"Hey kid!"

_**~Inhale!~**__ There's no one annoying bugging me right now! It's just me, my chakra, and my palm… Nope, nothing else but that… __**~Exhale!~**_

"Hey kid?!"

_**~INHALE!~ !CONCENTRA-!**_

"KID! YOU DEAF?!"

"URGH! WHAT DO YOU WANT?! I'M TRAINING!" her scratchy high pitched voice screeched, finally sick of having this annoying man trying to get her attention. Didn't he know what ignoring was? He was a little taken back by the outburst but quickly recovered and presented a tiny cup with two dice. "You wanna pay a game?" her eyelid twitched in annoyance. "NO! Now let me concentrate! You're being too noisy!" the unknown man gave a pout before turning his sights on her older white haired traveling companion, who was currently trying to get any snippets of information as to the whereabouts of Tsunade.

Jiraiya was all seduction when it came to getting information, it was easy to get information from these types of men, especially when she had a bust and brain to help her. But in a place this crooked you couldn't hustle the hustlers.

"You see I'm looking for a man, tall… blond, short tempered." The man mulled over the description, "I've seen someone like that!" their noisy worker proclaimed. Their only under-aged patron glared at him, hadn't she told him not to long ago **not to be so damn loud!?**

"I'll tell you where he said he was going if you play a round with me" she smirked, "If I lose, I tell you… If I win than I get to take you out for dinner." The smirk fell to an unnoticeable frown. "fine"

"Call."

"Chou"

Naruko held the water balloon tighly in both hands once the chakra lowed rapidly through it, she was trying to control it's spin but the chakra would slip through the free spaces between her fingers. Becoming frustrated, she forcefully pushed more power into the ball, the result caused a strong gust of wind to blow through the room-people were blown off their seats and landing on their faces.

"YES!" Jiraiya jumped in the air, her arms raised above her head in victory. For just a second it seemed that she was about to lose but thanks to her tempered little disciple-she won. Now she didn't have to date the weirdo, she could finish the mission and get back to her 'research'. "Yes! Yes! Now tell me where that annoying man went!"

Naruko curiously peered at the slot machine while her guardian made a mad fool of herself. She had never gamble before, lot's of older people seem to find it fun-other not so much when they lost. So she thought, what made it so fun?

"Heheh! Oh froggy! You're so much buter when you're fat!" the teen giggled. Jiraiya couldn't believe this girls luck. With her very last coin Naruko had hit a jackpot, on her first time no less! Now because of that one win, the girl was cocky and smug.

"Hey hussy-sage! I bet you never hit a jackpot on you're first try!"

"Watch it you brat before I start billing you on all the training!"

X~X~X~X

Their arrival into the city was a bit surprising. A single tourist had rushed by the two females warning them to turn back, something about there being a giant demon snake. They immediately knew who had owned the creature.

Tanzuka palace building lay in ruins, a spot on the ground stain with a couple droplets of blood… Orochimaru's handy work no doubt. Jiraiya was half-expecting this to be an easy search and retrieve mission, but it would appear people from the past were popping up all over the place. She just wished this particular creep she grew up with had stayed in the past. But at least they were getting closer to their assigned target… he wasn't far now.

"I'm hungry!" oh, and let's not forget the pain in the neck that she brought. "Fine we'll go to a bar, look for information while we're eating."

It was quaint for a bar/restaurant, not a whole lotta people were walking around after that giant snake incident at Tanzuka palace, so scrounging up information was going to be a little harder to find- well speak of the devil.

A familiar drunk stared wid eyed at her from across the room. In a vain attempt to hide Tsunade lowered his head behind his hands that clutched tightly to two large bottle of alcohol-hopefully she hadn't seen him.

"A bottle of sake for me, and barbeque for my friend please." Too late she'd seen him. The large chested woman sat across from him, giving him the most-blank expression she had ever seen her wear.

"Well, It would seem like everyone from our team is visiting me today." he announced unhappily,

"It's been a long time Tsunade…"

"Not long enough…" He drunkenly quipped causing a tiny twitch in the woman's upper eye-lid. "Still as charming as ever." He smirked.

"**He** also came to see me today as well,"

"What for?" she questioned, it was highly-unlikely that he would come to see him just for a little chat. A moment of silence was shared between the two men, his attendant cast a downtrodden look at the table-as if he was unable to speak about the whole encounter. "Nothing much… just a little greeting." He said, tipping back another shot. "And you… why are you here? Finally gave up on him?" Her little blond student looked at her curiously. "To tell you the truth? The leaf has issued a request for you to be the 5th hokage."

"**HACK! **What!-** COUGH!** What the hell?!- **COUGH!** the fifth hokage?! **COUGH!**"

They ignored her, "The third hokage… he…"

"It was Orochimaru's work, I know already… he told me."

"Orochimaru was the one who killed the third hokage! And you both know him!?" the little angry blond shouted, drawing the attention of other customers. Jiraiya glared out the side of her eye, but Naruko was too furious. "We was a sennin just like the two of us."

"But the Three Legendary Sennin were **from** the leaf village! So why!?" she just couldn't understand how someone could possibly turn on their home. Third hokage had protected it with his life, their village never started wars, it was a peaceful place, so the thought of someone willingly wanting to destroy it was just down right confusing.

"Who's the kid?" Tsunade asked, her hair was blond-and counting the many times they drank together in the past-hopefully it wasn't his. "She's Naruko Uzumaki…"

_The nine-tails?! This little girl is the vessel to a powerful demon?_ It was amazing really, how such a small thing could cage all that demonic power. But she wasn't important right now. "So what's your an-"

"I decline."

Now that was ironic, Jiraiya wanted to laugh. "It's funny, I said it the same way to you all those years ago when you asked me out."

"That was a loong time ago" he took another swig.

The tiny teen was absolutely livid. First she said they were looking only to interview the man, than they needed him to bring Kakashi and Sasuke back to health-and now he's offered the title of hokage and he just declines?!. "What the hell's going on around here hussy-sage?! Don't we just need him to come back to the village to check on Kakashi and Sasuke?! What's up with offering him the hokage title!?"

She smiled warmly at her hot temper, hopefully it would cool her down a bit. "Tsunade here is the only person who is qualified to be the hokage, he won the great battle with his techniques-techniques that no one has ever been able to acquire. Plus he's the first hokage's great grandson so it's the most appropriate." That caught her attention, making her turn to curiously look at him. This drunk was the first hokage's great grandson? Of course she'd tell anyone else that they were full of it-but Jiraiya hasn't lied to her just yet.

"If he become's the hokage he'd have to go back to the village, have a look at the both Kakashi and Sasuke… this decision was made by the top members of the leaf, you have absolutely no say in the matter." Whether she'd like it or not, she'd have to accept it.

"This new apprentice of yours is a lot worse than the previous one…" Tsunade could feel the alcohol settling in, but it wasn't enough and downed more-right now it was making him feel very cynical. Naruko was about to yell, scream, or even flip the table before her sensei's next words. "Yeah well, it's hard for anyone to compete with the 4th hokage…"

His expression was becoming darker with each passing second, his breath stunk of the disgusting overwhelming smell of sake. "But even so… the 4th died…" Shizuno tried many times to take the bottle from him, but his scary glare would always make him freeze and quickly retract his hands-it was better for him to just get it out of his system himself. "he gave up his life for the village…life is so much different than money… it can't be gambled away… whoever puts it at risk so easily is a fool…"

A tiny fire sparked behind those Uzumaki eyes, their language telling him to 'shut his mouth' but he continued unfazed. "My grandfather and the 2nd both died like losers trying to bring peace to the village."

"You've changed a lot…" the female sennin stated.

"Well I'm in my fifties… and people change with age… like Sarutobi-sensei... he gave up his life for a foolish dream. And we both knew he was too old for dreams that childish." Jiraiya was expressionless until that last sentence, her rage was boiling over. Even his apprentice Shizuno was shocked at his words. "Being the hokage is a shit-job. Only idiots would ever dream something that stupid."

Naruko had had enough, jumping across the table she moved to punch him across his big stupid smirking face. But Jiraiya intervened by grabbing the back of her collar and tossing her back into her seat. "Idiot! we're in a bar! Learn to have some restraint!"

"I don't care! This drunk old man doesn't **deserve** the title of hokage! I'm going to kick his ass just cause he has a big mouth!"

Things went quiet. "Why you little-! You have an awful lotta guts for a snot nosed little girl! Do me a favour girly, go home and play with your dolly's before you get hurt." "I ain't a afraid of you just cause you're some oval-headed sennin!"

Her insult against his slightly misshaped head struck a delicate nerve. "Okay little girl… you want a fight? Outside! Now!"

"Before we get started… tell me, why do you get so worked up over the hokage?" He lazily picked the wax from his ear.

"Because unlike you I want to succeed the hokage name! Becoming hokage is my dream!" either it was the alcohol in his system or he was finally starting to lose it… had he heard those words right? "What'd you say?"

"It's my dream to become the hokage!" Naruko declared, oozing confidence. Tsunade didn't know what to say, his irritation was clearly shown on his face though. "I'll take you down with just one finger… on the first move."

The girl growled, both hands coming up in front of her. He had to blink a couple of times to really register what he was seeing. It couldn't have been that jutsu… she was just too young to actually be doing it! "Take this!" she knew she wasn't going to be any match for him, this fight was more about respect than anything else-so right off the bat she had used that powerful jutsu Jiraiya had taught her.

Thinking fast, Tsunade crumbled the ground beneath their feet with a single finger. Making her lose her footing and plummet into the ground, the jutsu died like a blown out flame.

Shizuno sprang forth to help the girl, his worries for the little thing finally showing. "Are you okay? He offered to help her up but she just stood up and glared on her own. The white haired spectator's eyes narrowed slightly at the lack of control her disciple had over the move. _Looks like she still hadn't mastered it yet… the power died too easily._

"Jiraiya you can't take pity on every little girl that reminds you of yourself and go ahead and teach them a move like the Rasengan! Only you and the 4th are able to do it. Giving this little girl false hope that she'll learn it and become hokage is just cruel!"

"It's not false hope! I will become hokage! I can learn the Rasengan in three days if I wanted to! just you watch!" Her frustration was building, knees shook with adrenalin. "Hm! Big words coming from such a small little thing, men like me keep our word."

"I don't have to be a man to keep my word! I'm Naruko Uzumaki and I never go back on my word, that's my Nindo! My ninja way!" she played right into his trap.

"Alright than…" reaching into his open shirt, the man pulled out a tiny purple necklace. "If you master that technique in a week than I give you this." He squeezed it to emphasized his seriousness. "But Lord Tsunade! That's your precious necklace!"

"I don't want that ugly thing…" she stuck her tongue out at the little disgusting thing, but Jiraiya shook her head disapprovingly. "That was the first hokages necklace, it's made out of a very unique and rare ore… if you sold it you could buy three mountains."

"Okay!"

_Penniless child…_

"But-" If there was one thing he liked, it was an easy bet, something he knew he had a chance of winning. "But if you lose? I get all your money!" her fat overstuffed froggy was dwarfed in his oversized hand. Naruko hadn't noticed that he had taken it, "My cute froggy!" that monster! How dare he threaten her wallet!

Shizuno tried to talk him out of betting the necklace, it held too much sentimental value to be won in a stupid little gambling game. "My lord are you-"

"Let's go Shizuno!" He didn't want to hear anymore of those moral lecture, especially from him.

"Tsunade can we have a drink together? It's been a while…" Jiraiya stopped him, "You aren't asking me out are you?"

"Of course not, Just a drink between two old friends. Hey handsome…" the little mousy brunette man blushed, "You and Naruko go find a hotel to stay the night." "Yes ma'am!"

"Yeah? what do you want? I have to get up early tomorrow to train." Shizuno fidgeted uncomfortably under the young girls stare, he was never a 'child person'. "I'm sorry… it's just that… Lord Tsunade hadn't made the best first impression-and I just didn't want you to misunderstand. And also about the necklace…"

"I don't care about the old man! I'm going to win the wager because he underestimated me!" He wanted to smile at her behavior, she was just so cute. "Please don't hold how he was acting earlier against him. Believe it or not but my lord wasn't always like this. He had a kind and caring heart….. but he changed, because of that one day."

The man who didn't have one single experience with children soon had the hardest child's rapt attention. Naruko was interested in learning the old man's story, why he would be so bitter. "His dreams love and hope were all lost on that one day….. which brings me to the most important-that necklace is not something that can be so easily wagered on."

"Hey! How was I suppose-to know that?! That old man is the one who offered it!" she was offended that he would accuse her of making the man gamble, it wasn't her fault! He had started it in the first place with his loud mouth, and disrespect towards the hokage's.

"Even if you are to win, it's not something you should have. It's a cursed necklace!... It doesn't acknowledge anyone but Lord Tsunade… and whenever anyone else has ever attempted to put it on… they die."

**AN: sorry about the long wait! '^U^ I've been insanely busy. Well I'm trying to get back into the groove and finish this up, same with my other story! If you leave a review I'd be a bit more motivated to write-but I'm also just happy with so many reading!**


	65. Tsunade's Decision

Disclaimer: I don't own nothing, everything belongs to its respectable owners. Masashi Kishimoto.

Tsunade's Decision

"_Big brother!" _

"_Nami!" Tsunade greeted happily._

"_Bet you don't know what day it is~!" she sang with a large cheeky grin fitted across her rosy cheeked face. He faked a thinking expression, pretending to be clueless. "Oh? And what day is it today?" Her mouth fell in shock. "You forgot my birthday?! That's not nice!" He chuckled at his own joke. "I'm only kidding Nami! Happy birthday!" His little sister once again smiled, out stretched her hands, he knew exactly what she wanted. _

"_You turned twelve today… I'm proud Nami, I wanted this to be a very special occasion so…" His hand unfurled to reveal a purple shiny necklace. "It was grandpa's-the first hokage,I want you to have it…" The look in her eyes was sparkling with excitement, he didn't mean to toot his own horn, but he really was the best big brother._

"_Thank you big bro! This is the best present anyone has ever given me! You're the best!" The gratification was a little more than what he was expecting. "This isn't just a necklace… it was grandpa's necklace! Grandpa was the very first hokage, he loved and protected this village just like me! I want to be just like grampa! I don't care if I'm a girl, cause one day… I'm going to be hokage! Being hokage is my dream…"_

_Nami tied it around her neck before jumping into her brothers arms to give him a giant hug._

_Rain beat down harshly onto the outside world. Foot steps rushing back and forth, drumming in his ears like a hummingbird... but none of that mattered to the man who stood-frozen in place in the entrance of a doorway to the morgue. It was a strong scent, something he had never smelt before until now…the smell of burnt skin. Feet moved without his consent, but an unknown person's hand held him in place. _

"_It's better if you don't look at the body." Jiraiya said, her commanding presence stalling his movements. But another spoke up from behind them, this one a bit more grave. "What does it matter?... he wouldn't be able to recognize her anyway…" "That's enough Orochimaru!" "We're in the middle of a war, there are no doctors in a battle field. But children get brash… especially right after the day of their birthday's…"_

…_Years later…_

"_A four man team is on enemy territory, no help, making individual actions on their own. Their probability rate of survival would increase if the most important task… is to train medical ninja's with high level medical jutsu's and to promote the further development of this skill."_

_The third hokage stared blankly at his statement, it was a plausible decision, yes. But… "I understand… however we are in the middle of a war, our enemies will not stand idly by." _

"_SO WHAT ARE YOU SAYING OLD MAN?! THAT WE JUST-"_

"_I also agree with his suggestion…" a voice pierced through his loud shout, all attention turned to the one who quieted the volcanic man. Tall and beautiful, it was a combination that had Tsunade already weak in the knees. "I don't want to waste the lives of our ninja's needlessly. We should learn from our past." _

_He was waiting, waiting for her to step out of the crowd. Not that he was a stalker or anything! it just seemed right to thank her for supporting his opinion. _

"_Thank you… I'm not a very well-tempered man soo… thank you for both of what you said, and stopping me from making a fool of myself." Her smile was bright, beautiful, and full of nothing but patience. "You don't have to thank me, you were right." It was enchanting the way she'd smile, almost intoxicating, Tsunade wanted to spend more time with her. "It's getting late, let me walk you home. I'd like to talk with you a bit." _

_A light blush coated her pale face, adding colour to her silvery locks. "S-sure." _

"_Tomorrow we'll be having a mission on enemy soil. Fighting will only lose more of the people we love. It's not a ninja's job…" Tsunade wanted to hold her, ease some of her frustration that she was feeling... but he was a coward in expressing his feelings. "Yea…" _

"_In today's shinobi world, life and death hang in the balance. I want to bring peace to calm this worrying world. I love the people and the village entirety. So I will protect them." Her eyes were sparkling with unending determination and resolution. "After my little brother died… This ideal has been my motivation, so I wish to become hokage… For the sake of everyone's safety, My dream is to become hokage." He loved her, it wasn't official until this every moment-but now he could freely admit that he was in love with her. "Here." He walked behind her and with her permission, tied his necklace around neck. She traced it absentmindedly with her fingers before throwing her arms around him in a hug. It wasn't __**just**__ a hug, but a connection of both gratitude and of her-own expression of love._

"_Tsunade…" His fingers burned, the tears in his eyes were practically blurring his vision. There was just so much blood! _

"…_I don't want to die yet… There are just so many things I haven't accomplished…" It was everywhere… The colour red stained everything, her soft skin, his… there was nothing it hadn't touched. She was more surprised than anything, no pain, just the slowly dawning realization of the situation at hand. _

"_Please Dona, don't talk!" he needed to focus, every bit of strength he had was poured into healing the gushing wound that torn into his beloved's abdomen. "I'm scared Tsunade… I can't die here…" Tears were beginning to glisten in her eyes, he didn't dare look though. "I stopped the bleeding Dona, You're going to be just fine…" The smile he gave her was warm and happy, she in turn smiled as well. "Good… does that mean, I can rest my eyes…?" _

"_Go ahead. I'll be right here when you wake up…" His hands hadn't moved, their green glow illuminating every dark crevice on the muddy ground as well as the damp dead trees that surrounded them._

_She inhaled a slow shuddery breath, those beautiful blue eyes he's come to love closed. She exhaled, than all movement was creased. Tsunade's hands pulled away to cradle his face-when he noticed the red that stained his hands. Rain and blood, it was a ugly disgusting mix that plagued his mind for the rest of his days._

_The colour, smell, and texture of blood would always be his new fear._

X~X~X~X

"From that day forth, Tsunade has been struggle day to day, never being able to fully- wait, where are you going Naruko?" Shizuno asked, perplexed by the girls sudden break for the door. One hand on the door, she turned to give him a look of resolution, determination furrowing her eyebrows. "I'm going to… train!"

Well into the third day, Tsunade watched the girl tirelessly train. At points where he thought she couldn't take anymore, she'd surprise him by gritting her teeth and replanting her feet. That hard determination in her eyes was such a reminder of the two most loved people he cared for all those years ago. But Orochimaru's offer stick invaded his thoughts, every single nights from their meeting he found sleep elusive-the only way of getting any rest was a bottle of Sake and empty pockets.

…**I'll get rid of the leaf village!...**

Orochimaru's declaration to destroy their home riddled him with guilt, but the guilt of their deaths all those years ago was always still fresh in his mind. There was never a day he didn't curse the fates that fell on the only two people he ever deeply cared for.

…**Of course you don't have to answer me right at this very moment… but I'd like an answer before this week is up…**

His snake fiend had said that three days ago. He never meant to wager the girl into something so unimportant and idiotic, but he was hoping it would give him something to look forward to, something that would take his mind off things. He had to admit though…the girl was young,

boisterous, and hard-willed… so much like Nami.

… **The jutsu requires two sacrifices in order to bring them back…**

Just like Nami…

"**It's my dream to become Hokage!"**

"Han or chou?" Tsunade's wandering mind snapped to attention at the man in front of him. How did he end up in a casino? "Which side will you choose?" the man asked.

X~X~X~X

The sixth day, and both Jiraiya and Tsunade were seated at their newly titled 'drinking spot' passing a bottle back and forth between one another. "…she's determined…" He said, she knew immediately who he was referring to. "yeah… I wonder how my little hot headed disciple is doing." She sighed nostalgically, it's been forever since she seen the girl. Not like she missed her or anything, it just that things were starting to get a bit too quiet without her around. He took that small opportunity to quickly slip a small pouch of white odourless powder into the drink.

"Yeah…" soundlessly watching her down it, almost in an instant she was swaying in her seat and collapsing into his side. Supporting her weight, Tsunade lifted the woman with ease and back to their hotel, leaving her passed out in her bed, not bothering to cast her even one more look.

It was only midnight on the sixth day and Tsunade felt like time had passed by like a flash, But for Naruko, days couldn't drag on any longer than the last week. Waking hours were filled with nothing but training and the painful burns of chakra in her palms. Her body had collapsed in her wasteland of a training field, lucky enough Shizuno had found her before she was left out there for too long.

Tsunade overlooked the girls injuries, they weren't serious. But she was in desperate need of rest, when she'll wake up-he estimated-in two days or so, just so the enormous amount of chakra she exhausted could be replenished. "She'll be fine…" he relayed all this information to his second who heaved a heavy sigh of relief.

Their silence stretched on forever until his attendant spoke again the tone in his voice coming out solemn and hopeless. "You're going…" Tsunade didn't answer, which Shizuno took as a 'yes'. "I won't let you do it! Both Aunty Dona and you're sister would never-"

"You forget who you're talking to!" he gave the most feral expression he had ever seen. Even though he was scared, Shizuno knew he couldn't allow him to go through with it. "I'm telling you my lord… if you go… I'll have no choice but to-**GACK!**" He silenced him with a fist planted directly under his ribcage, a pressure point that crippled the body for 38 hours. Only a professional medical specialist knew of those weak pointed in the body.

"My… Lord… " The young man lay pathically on the ground, watching him continue out the door without a single glance back. "Tsunade!"

X~X~X~X

"AHH! Time for-SHIZUNO?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM?!" Naruko pulled the blankets to her chest, not realizing she was in the same clothes she wore the day before.

The young man's eyes widened in shock, she wasn't suppose to be up for another couple of days! "You-you were in bad condition yesterday! Lord Tsunade checked your injuries himself! He said you wouldn't be up for the next-"

"Oh! My recuperation time is crazy! Just one night of rest and I'll be fully healed!" That's right… the girl caged the nine-tails within her body, there were perks for being a great demons vessel. He struggled to stand.

Naruko noticed how much of a hard time he was having trying to stand and offered to help him-he accepted it gratefully. "We have to find Lady Jiraiya!" the desperation in his voice left no room for questions, they were out of the hotel. But just as they rounded the corner to the tiny bar stand they had last seen the two sennin, a very red faced Jiraiya leaned heavily onto the nearest wall. "That bastard Tsunade… drugged me… only he would ever make something that unrecognizable and powerful… my whole body feels heavy…" she heaved.

Their blond teen didn't know what to make of all the drugging and punching that occurred yesterday. She only worked herself to the bone, hoping to win the wager she had with the old man and earn his respect, not wake up with everyone racing around-or rather limping-to find Tsunade. Guess things were a little more complicated than she originally thought a few days ago.

Kabuto cursed quietly under his breath, the toads Sage's sudden appearance would be problematic with their deal they made with Tsunade. Although… the thought of meeting the nine-tails vessel once again had him interested of what her reaction would be if she was to find out he was working for the man who had marked her precious protector Sasuke.

It was time to see if the young girl was up to par with him.

X~X~X~X

"You're answer?" Orochimaru looked to be in terrible condition, it seemed that the more time his arms weren't healed the more his health decreased. Was in toturious to be left in this condition? If it was, he certainly wasn't expressing it on his face.

"I'll do it… on the condition that you leave the village alone. I've already prepared two sacrifices, their both passed out at the hotel I'm staying at." That slithery smile irked him, was he smug about his victory? It didn't matter, he told himself. As long has he got what he wanted, than it didn't matter what kind of face he made.

"Fine."

With just the tiniest bit of reluctance, Tsunade stepped forward, familiar green glow engulfing his large hands. "Alright than… let's begin."

His pale patients expression couldn't be described as anything other than-moth to a flame. Those wide crazed eyes so attracted to his hands, like a salvation of sorts. Before any healing could actually be intitated a kunai struck the ground between them, and being two of the three legendary sennin-both avoided it with relative ease.

"So… This is you're answer than Tsunade… to kill me…"

The barrel chested man smirked, a smug feeling settling in his stomach. "You should've know that I would never go with something like this, not since the two most important people of my life sacrificed their lives to save the village… Just stupid. "

With an animalistic frown, Orochimaru cursed the man. "I'll just have to make you than!"


	66. Medical Ninja

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!

Medical Ninja

Kabuto and Orochimaru narrowly escaped a well-aimed kick that shattered the foundation beneath their feet. "One hit can kill you!" His white haired follower scoffed, "I am well aware of that! The area here is too limiting, I propose we take this elsewhere. " It was a tactical idea. "Beside's… need to put some distance between us and the man's second. If he comes in to fight than we'll both be at a great disadvantage…. Also, there's another. " Orochimaru's piercing gold eyes flicked in his direction, intrigued. "… She is a legendary sennin.. I think you know who I'm talking about."

Mild shock shadowed the pale man's expression, he knew exactly who he was talking about. _"Jiraiya!"_ he thought excitedly.

She never knew when it appeared… but it was there the whole time, trailing them with every step they took, hiding in plain sight. Suppose no one really had a need for him till now.

"Oink! Oink!" Their pig, what was its name again? It was something cute… but what was it? "You got his smell Ton-Ton?" Oh yeah, that was the name. "Follow that pig!" Jiraiya was the first to race after it, slow because of the chakra disruption powder that was slipped in her drink last night, portions of it still flowed through her veins.

Shizuno looked to be at a loss for words, was he really that surprised the old man said no? She couldn't really judge anybody because they had just met a week ago so… she had no words of condolence's to share-not likely she'd share them anyway-.

"Let's go! Follow the path of destruction!"

Naruko didn't know what she was suppose to make of the situation, the old man on his knees covered in blood, the-ever-so-feared Orochimaru standing idly by wearing a smirk: one that she had never forgotten, than there was Kabuto. It was his sudden appearance that had her baffled. Wasn't it **just** suppose to the snakey bastard they came to stop? Why was the no-talent Chunin exam failure here?!

"My lord Tsunade!" Shizuno shot forward, rag in hand to clean his masters appearance.

"Well, well… long time no see Jiraiya. Looks like you haven't changed one bit." That creepy tongue of his flicked out to moisten cracked lips. "And I seen you've still got those eyes… creepy." she shuddered.

"… Hello again, Naruko…" she couldn't take her eyes off him, why was he here?! This wasn't a place for someone of his level, she had to warn him to leave. "Kabuto! Run away! That's Orochimaru!" He smirked at her confusion, she was just so oblivious for a ninja. "I know who he is…"

"Naruko, look at his headband… it's sound village, he's one of Orochimaru's henchmen. "Jiraiya tried convincing the girl who turned to glare at her. "Kabuto's my friend! He saved my life! He would never-" "It's true" She was just so naïve and hotheaded. For a while it was amusing, but now it was just pathetic. "I'm a sound ninja spy. You're so thick headed… that's why you'll never compare to Sasuke." Naruko didn't know how to respond, back in the forest she trusted him, relied on him to get them to the end. In a short amount of time, this guy had become a friend to her.

Failures to the end, the both of them.

"I have concluded something from your data…. Unlike Sasuke, you have no talent to becoming a great shinobi… you've been using that monster inside of you for power. The Uchiha has been using sheer willpower alone. With the three Legendary Sennin all gathered in one place like this? You're nothing more than a parasite." he was close now, only at arms-length away. Naruko was too in shock to move though. "You're only redeeming quality? Is your face…" His hand came up to cup her face-when it was intervened and tightly gripped in the female toad sages clutches. Her eyes were deadly and dark, everything in those irises screamed murder. "Don't lay a hand on her!"

Taking his hand back and setting it at his side he smirked, looks like he really rallied up the girls mentor. "It would be a waste if you died but, if you try anything… I'll kill you."

Was it all an act?! The teen thought to herself, overwhelming frustration had her clenching her teeth and balling little white fist's. Was every freely nice person just putting on airs? Every single person who immediately made a good first impression with her almost always betrayed her! And for what?! Each of them were for either stupid, or selfish reasons! Naruko was sick of these types of people being in her life. Sasuke should've kicked his ass back in the forest of death, she should've listened to her teammate than and not have brought the treacherous bastard along. Getting to know someone and getting invested in their attitudes, just hoping to make friends. Than those same people-turning and stabbing you in the back, it defiantly would've been better to just leave this jackass behind.

Charging with the intent to badly injure the Chunin-failure, she multiplied herself and aimed to attack for his right side. It was already dripping with blood, looked to be his weak spot. Although, she didn't expect him to pivot backwards, taking down three of the fake Uzumaki's. Just as she realized he was coming at her, a strong force pulled her inwards into their chest. Looking up, Shizuno's chin and cheeks were puffed full, he had blown something at the other medic ninja.

Not having enough time to actually dodge the attack, Kabuto bent his head downward, his forehead guard took the hits. They weren't very big weapons, just the soft sounds of twinkling and two needles scattered to the ground. He was fast, he noted. The movements were barely seen. There must be other little death traps up Tsunade's apprentice's sleeves.

Their opponent popped a tiny black round pill. "A blood stopping pill… " Shizuno answered her unasked question.

"Can you please take off the left bandage…" Kabuto asked Orochimaru, who's eyes shined with an almost manic gleam.

Jiraiya could already see what they were doing, and she had no other alternative but to fight. Of course coming into this, she knew she was going to have to fight, but she was kinda hoping Tsunade would be there to help her take down their old comrade. "Shizuno, you handle the punk in the glasses… I'll take care of Orochimaru."

"Like old times Jiraiya?" he smirked, a hidden meaning behind those words.

"Not even close."

"That's right… before we were always trying to get closer to one another… And now? I want nothing more than you're blood!" She frowned, "You ever heard the saying? 'Nothing beats a woman's scorn!'"

Two giant monstrous snakes were summoned. Naruko's mentor tried a summoning as well, but with the drugs still affecting her system she was unable to properly gather the sufficient amount of chakra. They struck, Shizuno was too busy protecting his master to keep an eye on the blond that suddenly disappeared. But they could hear loud shouts of -NOT AGAIN!- and –Stupid snake!- coming from one of the two serpents mouth. The woman wanted to laugh at her students antics, but she knew her opponent wouldn't share her same humour.

The enemy was aware of her presence, thankfully because of his injuries he hasn't in tip-top condition… well neither was she! Jiraiya raced up the snakes body to the top of its head. Once on top Orochimaru smirked, the woman was always going straight for the direct approach, she was exceptional in jutsu's and the like: but when it came to close quarter combat he believed he had the advantage. But something was off about her, her chakra flow was practically off-he could see it in the way she moved.

"Looks like you still haven't cured you're stupidity, you've always been a shameful indecent woman..." Instead on the angered reaction he was hoping he would get, a small smirked played at the edges of her pink lips. "If I can remember correctly, you've always found my 'shameful indecent' ways charming."

_**Earth-Style Dark Swamp!**_

The snake structure beneath their feet sunk into the ground, immobilizing Orochimaru's pets. Even after all this time she hadn't outgrown that irritatingly meddlesome behavior. "Come!" He appeared in front of her, but guessing the attack Jiraiya cacooned herself in the spikey barrier that was her hair. Both defense and offensive were in mind when she summoned it, plus it may by her a bit of time for the drugs to wear off. Unfortunately he was always a quick thinker, using the left foot-it being impaled by the few spikes that stuck up around her chest- to pull half the shield away from her. With an opening directly at her neck, his neck outstretched and his teeth chomped down. Blood collected at the edges of her mouth, the bastard had missed the vital veins but had a good amouth of her esophagus was caught in the bite.

"Now this bring's back mermories," she joked, not at all bothered by the teeth that sunk just a little deeper.

Orochimaru could feel the vibration of her words, everything they were both doing at this point was strained. "We may be eachothers equal Jiraiya, but you and I both know I'll win this fight!" he murmured against her.

It was no use, if he hadn't been punched in the stomach earlier-cutting off most of the points of chakra exit- Shizuno would've won this fight. But he wasn't in any condition to fight, the boy was Kakashi's equal, and a medical ninja to boot! So trying to keep the kid at a distance was out of the question, especially since his own fighting style and technique's required close combat. A jarring punch had him thrown sideways, out of the way of his intended target.

Tsunade watched helplessly as the kid Kabuto took down his second. The hyper little girl from before lay a few feet away, her leg had broke when the giant creature had spit her out and hit her with it's equally enormous tail.

He was alone now, not like it mattered anyway, he wanted it to end this way to begin with. No people coming to his rescue, just him and himself. Kabuto bent to his level his expression unreadable. "Such a shame… and here I had nothing but the utmost respect for you as a fellow medical ninja. Now look at you, someone at my level at beaten you…"

_I don't care about all this… it's stupid trying to fight fate. I was the one that deserved to die in the first place. _

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" he snapped his attention to the blond girl, her facial was twisted in pain and frustration. "WHY ARE YOU JUST SITTING THERE?! YOU'RE NOT EVEN GONNA FIGHT?! WHAT KIND OF HOKAGE ARE YOU?!" Their four-eyed opponent smirked and walked over to her, lifting her by the collar of her jacket. "Still spouting about that hokage stuff are you? Women aren't made for this kind of world let alone becoming hokage… you'd be more suited as a cute little housewife." She wanted to punch him, kick him, do something to shut that big mouth of his. But her entire body felt heavy with exhaustion. "Shut up! I don't care if I am a girl! Cause one day… I'm going to become hokage! Being hokage is my dream!"

"_This isn't just a necklace… it was grandpa's necklace! Grandpa was the very first hokage, he loved and protected this village just like me! I want to be just like grampa! I don't care if I'm a girl, cause one day… I'm going to be hokage! Being hokage is my dream…"_

A small hiccup slipped passed his lips, Tsunade didn't realize he was crying. This girl was resilient, every bit as passionate as his little sister.

"Don't touch me!" A loud smack was heard, Kabuto was thrown backwards away from the small girl.

Naruko struggled to stand against his overwhelming weight. That's what that bastard gets for putting his hands on her, than he had the gull to try to mock her dream!... looks like she upset him, his eyes becoming narrowed and angry. Pulling back a fist, he was going to put this girl back in her place.

The old man couldn't watch. Instead of the cracking of bones and groans he was expecting, a loud echoing ding was heard.

Naruko pushed against his fist with her headband. Everyone always said she had a thick head. Teeth gritting at the dizziness that surrounded her, she threw her hands up in a hand-sign. Her entire demeanor changed, eyes was slit red and demonic.

Kabuto was surprised, too stunned to even process the clone that appeared at her side. Wasn't her leg broken?

Using her one and only good hand, the clone did a series of soft melodic pops against that palm, the chakra that spun in that hand swirled and picked up tiny flecks of debris. _It can't be!_ The old man was shocked to see she had actually mastered it. But because she was unable to keep up with her one left hand Naruko thought it best to get another hand in there to keep it under control. It was kind of like her short-cut to master it.

Kabuto could tell it was going to be a powerful attack and made a move to jump away, when a hand balled into the front of his shirt, roughly keeping him in place. That hand belonged to none-other than the blond. It was an ingenious-yet barbaric strategy, one that involved strength and help.

The large ball of spinning chakra was fully formed and at full spin, and with every bit of strength she could muster. Naruko had pushed the ball into his abdomen. His body was in shivers and shakes, than it was thrown backwards-his whole body in spinning motion. It seemed like he was going to go on for a long time-until a lone boulder in the field stopped him. The force of impact was great.

Now she was in a crater of her own making, the destruction this young girl had caused was enormous. Tsunade almost couldn't believe his own eyes. It was a moment of pure hope, until she started to sway-than fell unto her back, red spilling out of her mouth.

Blood was flowing freely, her heart was ruptured when they separated. It was a brief moment, but his hand at connected with the area surrounding her heart, the organ's vital muscle structure being torn by the subtle attack.

Tsunade found himself at the girls side, hands aglow with the healing light of her salvation. "Don't… don't…." He muttered, desperately trying to keep the girls weak heart from fading.

"It's too late…" Kabuto was standing by the boulder, a smirk on his face.

"You! How did you?!" he questioned, baffled that the kid had survived such an attack. "Before she struck, I had already in engaged my healing in the spot I guessed she would hit. I was the one who brought back Orochimaru, she couldn't kill me. it's just imposs-ack!" he hacked a spray of blood, then fell face first into the dirt. His limbs were useless, glasses cracked, chakra was depleted at dangerous levels. It looked like he hadn't anticipated that much damage would have been done to his body.

But Tsunade didn't care about him at the moment, healing the girl was his first and only priority-than he could kill the kid.

Her face was becoming pale. The network of chakra was cut off to her heart, therefore, she wasn't able to call upon the nine-tails to heal herself. "Come on you brat!" he tried to work through his shakes, this situation reminding him all too much of the last two.

"Come on kid! I thought you said you were going to become hokage?!" hopefully talking the girl back would work, he'd sit here and yell at her all day if he had to.

Her breathing stopped, the heart beneath his fingers ceased to beat. But Tsunade didn't give up, not this time-he would bring the girl back. "Not again! Not again!" he screamed, tears were beginning to collect and drip onto the motionless body of the Uzumaki. Their faces replied in his mind, they all wore the same pale expressions. Now another was beginning to generate as well. "Damn it! Damn it!"

"… Looks like I won our bet…" her soft voice broke through his concentration, body condition began to stabilize back to normal as well. Her hand was clutching at the necklace, smiling smugly. "…this is mine..."

"She's still alive?!" Kabuto watched the entire pathetic attempt with mild amusement, all his effort seemed for not when Naruko's hands reached up tolightly touch his pendant. The girl was something else, it was probably true what everyone said about her… she was a real monster.

Wiping away the stray tears, he had a reputation to uphold. Tsunade removed the necklace from around his neck and tied it around her's. "A bet is a bet kid…" it felt good, to finally believe in something again. Even after all these years, he supposed he had been waiting for someone like her to appear, and prove her worth to wear the cursed necklace. The girl reminded him so much of his little sister, Nami would've been every upset with him on how he held back such a prize form her for so long.

She was a special little girl. And since she was so willing to give up her life on claiming that she was going to be hokage… than he was going to protect that dream to the very last breath.

"Poor little girl, it looks like she won't make it…"

"You're forgetting… Tsunade's down there, I put full trust into his abilities… even if he is a big pain in the neck. " she said, ironically rubbing the wound her opponent left on her neck.

"Look's like that child will be a bit of a hassle down the line... especially if the Akatsuki get their hands on her." He stated matter-of-factly. Jiraiya could read the hidden meaning behind his words and dashed after his form, his aim was to kill Naruko in her weakened state-but she would never allow him the chance!

Turn mid-air, Orochimaru's snake like tongue shot out and wrapped around her ankle, surprising the woman by throwing her over head and down into the ground. Using the momentum of her body weight, He threw himself at the resting form of Naruko, a sword slithered up his throat and clenched between his teeth.

His attack was stopped short by a solid figure though. Tsunade placed an attentive hand against the other sennin's head-stopping any further movement towards the girl. "I wasn't trying to kill you... If that brat lives, she'll cause a great deal of trouble for me later on. Don't get in my way."

That made him chuckle. "You're still so spoiled Orochimaru… No matter what, I'm going to protect this child." The sword had pierced the center cavity of his chest, making a full thrust right through and popping out the back.

"Why are you protecting a little weak genin like her?"

"I'm protecting the leaf village! I can tell, this 'little weak genin' will be the future hokage, by protecting her I'm protecting the hidden leaf village." It was securing the future peacefulness of their home. "And If a little girl is so hell-bent on protecting the village… than I'll bet my life on it as well!"

Orochimaru's white brow twitched in annoyance. "Well than! If you want to throw your life away for a worthless brat… Than you can die just like the piece of trash your protecting!" Ripping the scabbard from his chest, he slashed downwards across his torso. He fell backwards away, the blood spraying across the ground at their feet.

But the snake summoner wasn't quite done and dashed again at the unconscious Naruko, intent to kill. Once again the blond man had interrupted, leaning heavily on all fours over the girl. Blood splashed everywhere, all of it belonging to the stubborn man. "I told you! I'm protecting this girl! And I Meant It!"

Murderous, was the one word to describe the look in his eyes. The black little symbol in the center of his forehead began to scatter across the rest of his face, black patterns littering his already red stained skin.

"No! My lord please! I'll heal you're wounds for you! don't unseal it!" Good, Shizuno was awake now, but his help was no longer needed-now it was his battle and he didn't want to pull anymore punches.

_**Seal Release!**_

The little mark was gone, same with any little scratches that were once on his face. Only the gruff of stubble on his chin and neck were the only indications that he had a rough couple of days, not a single mark marred his skin. Colour flooded back to his face, fatal wounds on his body were also beginning to sizzle away. His healing process was beginning to remind him of a drop of water to a hot skillet. "Well, it looks like you've been developing some new jutsu as well Tsunade… would care to explain to tell me what it does?" it was never very wise to march into a battle unknown, they were once teammates so he should've given him the honorable fight and informed him of it.

"I've been storing chakra in the center of my forehead. That chakra is only used to duplicate more cells at an accelerated rate to heal just about anything on my body… So I can't die in battle." _But the fasert the process, the more my life is shaved off._ Something's always gotta give in a very powerful jutsu, especially for a highly developed jutsu such as this.

"WHAT I MISS?!" Jiraiya shot straight up from her crater, looking around confused. It would've been a comical display if it wasn't such a dire situation. "Get up Jiraiya, we'll end this snake once and for all!"

She smirked, "Alright than handsome! Count me in!"

All three sanin touched the ground, Kabuto had to help his master.

_**Summoning Jutsu!**_


	67. Relieved

Relieved…

"Manda and Orochimaru… Katsuyu and Tsunade. Heh did you plan on some kind of teary reunion Jiraiya? Were you and that pale woman over there going to argue than kiss like before?" Why was he so annoying? Even after all this time there was no, Hey Jiraiya! It's been a long time! Good to see you. Instead she got the non-funny sarcastic toad, who she never liked to begin with.

"Shut up! Now's not the time for your stupid jokes! We're going to end this one-sided attraction once and for all…" she spat.

"Katsuyu… take the girl to Shizuno" Tsunade commanded the slug.

"Yes My lord!" A miniature slug formed under the unconscious child and whisked itself down the back of the much larger slug. His second was confused at first by the request, but accepted it none-the-less. Good, now nothing was going to be in the way of this fight.

_**Acid slim!**_

Katsuyu dispelled a white liquid from his tiny unnoticeable mouth, aiming directly for Oroshimaru's summoned Anaconda. "You're gonna have to do better than that!" It's gravely deep voice roared.

Being the large slow creature it was, the slug couldn't dodge the snake fast enough once it wrapped itself around her, constricting all its movements-crushing her as well. "Katsuyu hang in there!" Tsunade reminded his partner, he had never like putting her endanger; but it was all a part of the plan. Gamabunta sprang forward, thrusting its scabbard tip towards the snakes head. When it caught a single glimpse of his approaching opponent Manda immediately threw its head back-away from any the blade, and grabbed it between its teeth. They were all immobile now.

"Katsuyu now!" following according to orders, Tsunades trapped partner burst into millions of smaller slugs.

With that moment of surprise Gamabunta leaped away, the sword being ripped from his hands and tossed carelessly in to the side. Successfully putting distance between him and the snake. An all-out stare down between ninja commenced.

"Jiraiya, Jiraiya" he tsked, "How did we come to this… a long time ago the very thought of me getting injured once brought you to tears."

"Once." She concluded, this was a dull dreary conversation topic that just didn't float well with her. "Let's just move on! Gamabunta! Give me some oil here!"

_**Firestyle! Toad Oil Cannon Jutsu!**_

The two were quickly engulfed by a large scorching ball of fire. Swirls of heat and flame covered the form of Orochimaru and Manda. _Too easy…_ Searching the grounds, Jiraiya spotted only the burning molted skin of the snake, it had shed its skin before being burnt alive.

Swiftly, she commanded Gamabunta to dodge. The both of them flying backwards, narrowing missing the attack of a full set of teeth.

"Take this!" Tsunade came down right after Manda and using the pointy end of Gamabunta's sword, pierced his mouth into the ground-not exactly stabbing the brain but enough to close its mouth.

Orochimaru growled. With Kabuto at his limits and Manda down defeating the two sanin would be impossible at this point, looks like it was time for some drastic measures.

His tongue shot out and wrapped around Tsunade's muscular neck adding crushing pressure to the point of crunching noises. Jiraiya attempted to move but found her broken leg and cracked ribs restricting certain movements. Unfortunately the stronger man was still flowing with charka, his jutsu was still generating more cells no doubt. Before their pale opponent could pull away and regroup for a different approach he was pulled upwards into the ever powerful fist of the legendary sucker. "I've had enough!"

Orochimaru had just in time turned his head to lessen the damage the punch would do-it would've most likely had killed him. Kabuto was fast to rush to his masters side and begin healing with little chakra he had.

Now, worn out and tired, both sound ninja's stood in the debris of dust that gathered around them. With straining heavy breaths Orochimaru was finally at the end of his rope and had no other alternative but to retreat. With the meddlesome woman there things were just too difficult to handle by himself-even with the teen medical ninja there.

"I don't necessarily need your help Tsunade…" it was shocking how the sneaky little bastard was able to keep yapping that mouth of his. "… There is still one way left, one way to revive these dead arms."

The two of the sennin looked on in shock at the barely standing man's face. Skin dangled in pieces, it was a grotesque sight, but it revealed an unpainted fresh eye unlike his own. "I will destroy the leaf… till we meet again Tsunade… and Jiraiya." There was that smirk again, ugly and all-knowing as it was. Now they both knew the reason why the man had felt just a little… off. "This is the face of true immortality!" He body sunk into the ground, both were now gone but not before the boy could get in one last sneered farewell to the two.

With all the perilous fighting and life or death situations over and done with, their group sat at a local restaurant ordering meals. Was it okay to be this casual what if at any moment-

"WHAT THE FIFTH HOKAGE?!" Naruko slammed her fist onto the surface of the table, the young girl was absolutely livid.

"What's wrong Naruko?" her white haired mentor questioned.

"What's wrong?! He's nothing like the third hokage! Sure he's strong, but he's rough, selfish, loose with money, and stupid. " Every word was an annoyed jab into the man pride. "Are you sure he can even do it? I'm worried for the village right now! Besides, isn't he a drunk?!" Having just about enough of the girls attitude, Tsunade shot straight up out of his seat. "That's it! You wanna piece of me girly?! Outside NOW!" she answered with a heated glare.

Jiraiya slipped her drink uninterested in the war between two hot heads, as long as it wasn't her who was fighting than everything was all good! But Shizuno didn't see it that mildly, his jaw dropping at his masters declaration. Wasn't he suppose to be a prince of some kind?! Princes did not fight teenage girls in the street!

"I'm hokage, it doesn't matter what you say. So I won't need to be serious with you. All I'll need is one finger to take down a little squirt like you. " he mocked whole heartily, making the girl growl. "Don't call me squirt damnit! I'm going to be hokage too someday!" He hid a proud smirk under his long dirty blond bangs.

"Come on than!" such a predictable little thing, charging in head first.

He stepped back just once, hand swiping upwards-practically cutting air. Her forehead was bare, Iruka's forehead protector was knocked off and thrown somewhere behind. Naruko knew the old man was powerful but his speed was insane! _On no!_ she closed her eyes shut when his finger was within an inch of her face.

That same large terrifying hand engulfed the top of her head, ruffling her tied back pigtails. Naruko snapped her eyelids open, the blinding sunlight outlining his towering built figure. He grinned happily down at the girl, she never thought he was capable of making such an expression. "Become a great shinobi!" The world seemed to slowdown because of that one comment, a blaze of heat torching her cheeks. But without another word she jumped into his arms securely wrapping her arms around his neck. Naruko didn't think a simple 'thank you' was enough and acted on her feelings not really caring if he was comfortable with it or not.

Ton-Ton oinked, Shizuno smiled, and Jiraiya sighed in relief-good thing she didn't have to get involved in anything stupid.

Tsunade hesitantly-and awkwardly-hugged the girl back. He would deny she was adorably-but he would admit the girl was tolerable enough to hug.

"Alright than… shall we head back to the village?"

"What?! but I haven't eaten anything! I'm hungry!" their group laughed at her frantic behavior even more when her face pulled into a cute pout. "What?! I really didn't, and I'm starving!"

"I'm back! I brought you some more flowers too. But to brighten up the room! Not cause I think your unmanly or anything!" Sakura corrected herself. The daffodils in her hands had already illuminated the dull white room.

He didn't answer her, as expected. Circling the bed, she placed the flowers in the already vacant vas but not before carefully disposing of the previous wilted flowers. "There!" she happily chirped, it was a small job she was always happy to do. With her job finished Sakura was once again seated in silence. "Oh! I almost forgot! We got a message from Naruko, she wrote that she actually got that famous medical ninja person. So that means you'll get better Sasuke!" her hands clutched the red fabric of her skirt as silent tears streaking down her cheeks, but the sides of her mouth were stretched on both sides in a smile. Their teammate-even if they didn't say it-was something extremely special.

"I'm amazed you were able to persuade him to come Jiraiya." An elder in a white robe praised, causing the white haired woman's ego to swell.

"But of course, what's a girl without her womanly charm?" Naruko wanted to barf at that last comment, she really didn't just say 'womanly charm' did she? Wasn't it her who let her guard down and was practically poisoned? Of course stating that out loud would've just embarrassed the woman… since she was in such a giving mood today she decided to let her have this one tiny ego build.

"Well than let's gather all the local lords and celebrate the inauguration of the fifth hokage…" An elderly woman proclaimed, her words immediately had the girl spinning around. "Genma, Aoba, announce this to the leaf village-"

"Now hold on just a damn minute!" Naruko shouted accusingly. "This old man has stuff to take care of first!"

He sighed exhaustedly as they walked, slightly leaning over to whisper in his fellow sannin's ear. "Who were these people again?" The look she cast his way was annoyed. "You weren't listening when I told you on the way here were you?"

His shameless lopsided grin answered for him. "geeze… well, there's that brat Kakashi, Uchiha's kid, and Might Gai's student Lee." He nodded in understanding, not that many people, suppose it should be quick.

He didn't think much of the two spikey ponytailed ninja they were about to pass in the hallway, bur Naruko broke from their group to greet the teen.

"Shikamaru!"

"Hey, what's up Naruko?" They looked to be friends especially judging from their friendly smiles. "What you doing here?" "What? I was about to ask you the same thing! The only building around here is the ninja administration." The boys cheeks took on a dark hues, Tsunade wanted to smile at the scene but the older of the two bowed-catching his attention. "How are you Lady Jiraiya, Lord Tsunade?" he immediately recognized the man. "You're from the Nara family correct?" he nodded. "Are you taking good care of your deer? Their antlers make good medicine."

It was unusual thing to see his dad so dutiful, Shikamaru leaned over to the shorter girl. "Hey, who's the dude with the big attitude?"

"The new fifth hokage!" she answered looking very proud of herself. But her sentence had surprised the young Nara boy. As if remembering something Naruko spun on her tip toes and looked straight into his eyes. Her entire demeanour changing in an instant, they were very foreign features for her always happy face. "Shikamaru! Let's meet up later!" His brow knitted together in confusion. "What do you-" "Just come meet me! Just the two of us!"

He didn't know what to think, she wasn't actually asking what he thought she was asking… was she? "Uh… why just the two of us?" he continued to questioned hoping that he didn't misunderstand. She had to think about it for a couple seconds, chewing on her lip before grinning like an idiot. "Oh that's right! I most forgot about Choji, bring him too! I wanted to show you guys my awesome new jutsu!" he visibly deflated at that answer.

The two teens were unaware of the adults that witnessed the entire thing, some smiling, while others looked on feeling sympathetic for the boy. Naruko must've been the most thick-headed person to have walked this giant known earth.

"Idiot girl! What shinobi shows off a secret weapon?!" Jiraiya scolded. Their group walked to their original destination, leaving father and son to stare confusedly at them. It was a weird group of people that was for sure.

"I hate girls…their confusing, I could never tell if their mad or happy…" His dad smiled at his son's cynical attitude, it was obvious to him that he had a thing for the Uzumaki girl. "You know Shikamaru… it should be the man who asks the woman out." This earned him a very flushed annoyed expression. "Why'd you tell me that? I already know... and I don't care…" The older man wanted to laugh at his son's expression.

"You know, men wouldn't be here without women. Don't forget Shikamaru…" He gave his son a soft smile. "Even the roughest woman is tender to the guy she loves."

"Oh yeah? what about you and mom?" he condescended. His father closed his eyes with a content smile. "Oh your mother could be crazy at times that's true, but she has her moments… you'll understand when you get older." _The man's in total denial…_the Nara teen thought exhaustedly.

From his point of view all girls were either bossy or just plain crazy. But he supposed what his father said did make some sense… though he would never voice it.

Tsunade strode into the room, taking note of how boringly dull it looked with its white walls and polished tiled floors. A pink haired girl sat at the bedside of-who he guessed was the Uchiha. She looked around at the group of people that entered, confusion written all over her face.

"Who are you?" The man that stood in front wore his hair in a long ponytail, his blond bangs parted down the middle. Even with his ruggedly handsome face, he still managed to look intimidating, especially with his large muscular structure.

"Sakura don't worry! Sasuke's going to be alright now! This is Tsunade, he's a really great doctor!" Relief washed over her at the young girls appearance and words.

"May I?" he smiled, making her nodded her head quickly. Wasting no more time, Tsunade placed a green glowing hand over his forehead immediately healing the damage done to his psyche. Sakura watched the process with an overwhelming feeling of awe, while Naruko watched with nervous anticipation.

Noticing her clenching hands Tsunade smiled at the girl. "He's going to be fine. Give it some time and he'll be up…" He finally declared.

An invisible weight had lifted from the room, causing both team 7 girls to exhale a breath they didn't realize they were even holding. Sakura slumped inward into herself while Naruko stood silently hair shadowing her face. "I'd better go and see your sensei now." on his way out the old man couldn't help but affectionately ruffle her hair, making her look up at him with a teary lopsided grin.

_This girl is pretty strong for her age…_

Team 7 was alone now.

It was quiet, even though they both knew he was okay-and it was confirmed by the number one medical ninja in the entire country! But… they couldn't help but wonder when he'd wake up. Sakura's tear stained face held bag under her eyes, indicating long periods of time without rest. She must've been worn to the bone with worry. "Sakura…" her green eyes found hers "Go home and rest now… you look tired." Just when she was about to protest Naruko crossed her arms in the back of her head and let out the most brightest smile. "Don't worry! I'll come get you when he's awake! Just… get some sleep. You've done a real good job of looking after him."

Reluctantly taking up her offer Sakura gathered her stuff and was just about to exit the room when she turned around with a smile. "Thank you Naruko… if you… if you hadn't gone to get him…"

"Oh it was nothing! Please, you're making me embarrassed!" the Uzumaki scratched her cheek sheepishly. With a shared laugh they said a short 'see ya' and once again Naruko was in silence. Her legs were tired, sore, and with all the relief that was coursing through her she didn't think she'd be able to stand anymore. Taking Sakura's previous chair, she watched the Uchiha's face for any signs of change. Hell she'd be happy with a twitch!

The hours ticked by, sunlight was beginning to filter out of the room-pretty soon visiting hours would be over. But still she sat there, determined that the Uchiha would wake up. She didn't care if she had to hide under the bed just so the nurse couldn't kick her out. She didn't care if at some point her own eyelids were beginning to feel heavy. She didn't care if the bed felt soft and that it wouldn't have hurt just to close her eyes (even for just a couple of moments). And she sure as hell didn't care if the Uchiha's hand was going to be covered in her slobber in the morning.

Tired eyes cracked open, blinking multiple times. Sasuke had to shade his eyes from the morning light that shinned in threw the only window. He was confused and dizzy, still very drowsy too. Surroundings were unfamiliar but guessing from his last memory he must've been in the hospital. Limbs were light, everything was nothing but a hazy blur. Looking to the right, he caught sight of a few brightly coloured daffodils. _Someone was here._ He thought to himself. Left hand come up to pinch the bridge of his nose to get rid of the headache pounding in his skull…when he noticed his entire left arm was asleep.

The light was blinding and hurt his eyes but he immediately recognized the head of golden hair as none other than Naruko Uzumaki. Her ties had long been discarded, hair stuck up in random directions. So this is what her hair looked like before a brush.

Careful of the sleeping Uzumaki, he sat further up into the hospitable bed and rested his head against the metal bed frame. Breathing came easy, it was trying to keep the room from spinning that was the hard part. Naruko's head cuddled further into the nice smelling blankets, letting a few soft snores slip past her lips.

The action caught his attention. _How long has… she been here?_ Pulling his numb arm out from under her he found the movement was limited due to her smaller left hand clutching his. His forearm-the part she had used as a pillow-was covered in a trail of drool. Annoyance prickled underneath his skin. He couldn't believe the idiot slobbered all over his arm!…but he couldn't get mad enough to wake her.

Not that he needed to. Her eyes shot wide open and frantically started to slap herself awake. "Gotta stay awake!" she reminded herself and sat up straight resuming her watch duty. But to her utter surprise the Uchiha was already wake, looking at her through smirking dark circled eyes. "Sasuke?! You're awake!"

"Che, Idiot… you drooled on my arm." Her hand rubbed the back of her head nervously. "Heheh, Sorry about that! I must've been really sleepy late night." She left to get a bowl of water, maybe that would make it up to him-doubt it.

"Here!" Without actual express permission Naruko had dunked his hand in the bowl of luke-warm liquid. He noticed how helpful she was being, every action she did was over exaggerated and fast. Her face lit up with a bright smile of realization. "Oh! I have to get Sakura! She wanted me to get you the moment you woke up!"

The eager idiot was just about to sprint out of her seat when his newly washed hand was placed gently on her shoulder, keeping her in place. His expression was unreadable so she stared back with a questioning look. "Sasuke?"

"… Are you okay?" his question caught her off guard, wasn't he the one in the hospital? "What? I should be the one asking **you** that question!... you were… you were.." the excitement in her eyes dulled and were replaced with guilt. Did she feel responsible for what happened? "Sasuke… I… I'm-" "Naruko I'm sorry." blue eyes widened in shock. "I was suppose to be there to protect you. but I didn't! I couldn't beat him… even now… The level I'm at isn't strong enough!" he hated himself for his weakness, Naruko didn't see it till now.

She didn't know how to tell him it was going to be 'alright' without making him feel even weaker. Anything she'd say at this point would either break him or make him. So she settled for the first thing that crossed her mind. "Well than…" she began. "The next time you meet him, you kick his ass!" Now it was his turn to look at her surprised. "Your my rival Sasuke! You can't be beat by anyone else but me!" Her expression was set in stone, no going back.

A small barely noticeable smile curved his lip. "…You're an idiot…" "HEY THAT'S NOT NICE! I'M BEING SERIOUS HERE!"

__In the next chapter__

"_**Are you serious?! A festival?! Yahooo! This is my chance to finally get a date with Naruko!"**_

"_**You know Shikamaru… it should be the man who asks the woman out.."**_

"_**As my future wife we're going to the festival together!"**_

"…_**Naruko… would you like to come to the festival with me?"**_

"_**I have to get Naruko a date… otherwise she'll get in the way of me and Sasuke's alone time."**_

"_**Three's a crowd… get lost."**_

"_**What's going on around here!?" **_

In three days it'll be the Hokage's inauguration. The plan was simple, sneak Sasuke out of the hospital, have fun at the festival with all her friends. Instead, everyone has completely lost their minds with the blond female being in the eye of the storm. How will Naruko deal with these unusual series of events?


	68. Fifth Hokages Festivalthree days away!

Fifth Hokage's Festival… Day 1

"Sasuke! Didn't you hear!? There's going to be a festival in a couple of days!" The bed ridden Uchiha glared. "I won't be able to go **ditz**." Naruko's grin fell, "Well geez! You don't have to be so mean about it! I was just telling you!"

Before a shouting match could start between the two, Sakura had entered carrying a bag of apples. "Naruko shut up! This is a hospital" her scolding had the Uzumaki cowering in fear. "Sakura you're seriously scary when you want to be." Shuddered the girl.

It was too early in the day for her over the top behavior. Sighing, Sakura walked towards the bed placing the fruit down onto the end table. Taking her newly favourite chair beside Sasuke's bed, she proceeded to blush prettily twiddling her fingers in a shy manner. "Sasuke... the festival was coming up and-"

"Naruko already told me about it already." Her pleasant smile turned to the still cowering girl, something about that smile changed when it turned on her. "Yeah! I was just gonna tell him that all three of us should go Sakura! Nothing more! Nothing more!" she quickly clarified, that jealous gleam in her eye sent a fresh shiver through her.

"Oh…" Their pink haired teammate chewed her bottom lip worriedly. The festival was her chance to get Sasuke out on a date, but with the blond idiot there they'd get no time alone. She thought of a plan and thought of it fast. There was only one way to distract the other girl, a blind date!

"-and than we can sneak you out!"

"I don't want to go! Are you deaf or something?!" they were arguing again, like always.

* * *

><p>"Are you serious?! A festival?! Yahoo! This is my chance to finally get a date with Naruko!" Kiba happily swung his puppy partner threw the air.<p>

Both Hinata and Shino watched the display of excitement. "I'm so happy for you Kiba. We both are, right Shino?" said genin looked back and forth between the pale eyed girl to the grinning face of Kiba. His face hidden beneath the high collar of his coat and black round sunglasses he wore but his voice held a hint of emotion. Something that was very rare for the Aburame teen "Yes…"

"How do you plan on asking her?" for once he was at a loss for words. "I uhh… I didn't really think about that."

A strong sense of duty compelled Shino to speak, he was his friend after all, right? "It would be wise for you to ask right away before anyone else-"he turned back around to face them when both were already out of earshot, not having heard his advice-and unintentionally ignoring him.

"Man! How the hell do I just ask? I don't think I could just stroll on up to her and ask 'hey Naruko! Wanna come with me to the festival?'" Akamaru whined sympathetically for his owner, it really was complicated to have romantic affections for the one and only oblivious Naruko.

"Umm w-well, you never know K-kiba… Naruko m-might just say yes if you ask h-her." he mulled over her words carefully, the girl was unpredictable, no one ever knew what the fast paced girl would do. "I suppose you're right Hinata."

"Hey! What are you guys doing over there?!" their conversation subject sprung up outta nowhere! Scaring a nervous Hyuga and distracted Inuzuka, while Shino merely acknowledged her presence-unlike some people. And everywhere that blond went a dot of pink wasn't far behind. Sakura resisted the urge to smack her teammate over the head for yelling so loudly in the middle of a busy street, people were staring at the little nuisance.

"Ah, Naruko we were just talking about you." Shino ignored the brunette's shocked face. "Yes, we were discussing whether or not Kiba should-" with a loud smack his mouth was covered, by none other than the blushing teen in question. "Don't mind him! he's just-"

"A-Are you going t-to the f-festival Naruko?" Hinata intervened hastily, gaining all the attention on her. The sight of her teammates squabbling was just… dare she say, embarrassing?

"Uh… yeah! I am! It's going to be **seriously** fun!" oblivious as always. Thank god.

Sakura smirked, already understanding the meaning behind their odd behaviour. And if anyone noticed her facial expression they could practically see the gears in her head working as an idea formed in that pretty little head of hers.

The two struggling boys went unnoticed until a black swarm of bugs lifted and carried a thrashing brunette overhead, dropping him in the middle of the three girls-purposely interrupting them in mid-conversation.

Look of betrayal crossed Kiba's face as he glared over at the stoic boy desperately trying to hide the blush that heated his face. He didn't get up and just sat there in the middle of the three girls, feeling like an idiot. Things weren't suppose to be like this, he was suppose to come in like a gallant hero and sweep the girl right off her feet... instead his 'friend' had to put him in such a stupid situation. "Right… I um… ahh-"

"Yo Kiba! You sick or something? Your face is really _really_ red!" without any regard for personal space, Naruko lightly laid a hand onto the boys forehead, crouching to his level.

Hinata blushed along with the star-struck teen, did she really not know what kind of effect she had on him? Shino stared, and Sakura's evil smirk stretched if possible. "You know if you're sick than you should probably-"

"Naruko!" a loud piercing shriek interrupted their moment.

"As my future wife we're going to the festival together!" a kid, they noted. Face was clean and fresh, round too, he looked only three year's younger than-**FUTURE WIFE?!** Everyone turned to the blond in shock, nothing but a bunch of guppies with their mouths hanging open. "Your engaged?!" Sakura asked half shouted.

Naruko merely shook her head in a light laugh, quickly dispelling any misunderstanding's they had had about her. Konohamaru's title for her didn't bug her as much as it use to now. "No, no It's just a condition if he beats me in achieving the Hokage title is all!" they weren't really sure how to feel about that answer… but they were pretty sure their friend didn't really know herself.

"That's right! And as my future wife we're going together!" His face was hard with determination; nothing she said was going to change his mind. As flattering as his declaration was, her plans for that day were already set in stone.

"Sorry Konohamaru but-" She began, but all at once everyone else burst into a hum of chatter as well.

"Now Naruko don't hurt the poor boys feelings."

"Now wait a minute he's too youn-"

"-hehe-"

"We should all love one an-"

"Naruko's **my** future wife!"

"-Bark! Bark!-"

Exactly what the hell happened? Her head spun from all the yelling, everyone was talking at once, and very loudly too. Akamaru yipped annoyingly; Kiba was trying to talk over Sakura's voice, losing battle, while dually arguing with Konohamaru. Weirdly, Hinata found her situation humorous. Shino was mindlessly mumbling about loving one another, while she herself was watching the entire thing looking very confused.

Just before she felt like her head was about to explode all the noise died, but one headache was replaced with another when everyone was staring intently at her, expecting an answer. "Uh…" she had no clue what they were talking about. "What?"

"Are you going to the festival with Kiba or Konohamaru?" her mouth fell in shock, where the hell did **that** come from?! "Choose!" Sakura was being awful pushy today.

A nervous little chuckle escaped her, wanting nothing more than to turn and run. In fact, that's exactly what she did! "I DON'T KNOW!" she sped away outta sight.

* * *

><p>It was easy to outrun their group, especially since she got the surprise on them. It confused her, everyone was peacefully chattering with one another when suddenly they all burst into a fit of crazy! Konohamaru she could understand, he was just like that plus he was ten. But Team 8?! Why were they pushing so forcefully to have her come with them to the festival? Or more specifically, why did Kiba suddenly want to go the festival with her?! And then there was Sakura… what was <strong>her<strong> deal? Didn't they already make plans with Sasuke to take him?... even though he doesn't want to go. She didn't know why but Naruko had the strangest feeling that Sakura was trying to ditch her with Hinata's team. So many questions swirled around in her head.

Deciding on where to go she didn't realize her feet had already taken her to Ichiraku's; the stalls delicious aroma momentarily distracting her.

"Hmm maybe I'll figure this out after some lunch!"

"Yo~!" Kakashi entered along with Gai, both popping a squat next to her.

"Ah Naruko~! How are you on such a wonderful day?" his over exuberance was blinding.

"Kakashi Sensei? Gai sensei? what are you two doing here?! And together?!" she announced happily, wiping a few stray noodles with off her chin with the back of her sleeve.

"Believe it or not, but even rivals like us like to just sit back and relax!" Gai grinned,

"I come here, just not as much as you." the bowl hair-cut male gave him a side-long glare, he always seemed to find ways to act cool!

Kakashi found himself curious "So I heard you were going to the festival with that boy from Kurenai's team." the sentence ended with the blond choking on her food in surprise. That was exactly the reaction he was expecting. "What?! **COUGH! **I didn't-** COUGH!** I didn't say that! **COUGH!**"

Of course Kakashi had heard the commotion of the teens on his way here, (they were all pretty loud) not really thinking anything of it until now. He waited till the coughing subsided before continuing.

"…well, I didn't give anyone an answer…." She hid her face from him, mostly likely biting her lip.

"So you ran off without giving them an answer?" he figured as much, the girl was very inexperienced when it came to the opposite gender.

"Well what's the hold up? Your just in the blossom of youth! Don't waste it with simple insecurities!" Gai wistfully added, causing both student and teacher to shake their heads.

"Than your afraid to hurt their feelings."

"No…." she mumbled cutely.

"You've never been on a date, is that it?" all these questions were starting to grate on her nerves! "No! I've never been on a date!... no one ever asked me to…" her usually confident eyes flicked back and forth nervously, this was a whole different side of the girl he had never seen. The taijutsu specialist chuckled lightly under his breath. "I guess your sensei and I will just have to show you how to go on a date than!" he was giddy, he never thinks straight when he's this giddy. "You'd never believe this… but I also had a hard time with getting dates when I was younger." _Ain't that an understatement…_

"Hey wait a minute I didn't-!" the rational jonin of the two was silenced with a hard clap on the back, Gai's stare bore right into his soul, making him inwardly shudder.

Naruko paled at the proposition. "Ah… I don't really think that's ness-"

"Nonsense! Meet us at the training grounds at 8 am tomorrow! By the time we're done you'll have to beat the men off with sticks! Hahaha!" That evil twinkle in his eye sent chill down her spine, instincts told her to pay for her meal and ditch the place as fast as she could!

Once she was pretty sure she had a far enough distance from the two, Naruko breathed a heavy sigh of relief. First it was team 8, just the students, than the teachers were acting weird. It was only three more days till the festival and already people were in a big fuss about it!

She was delighted to find herself at the training field. Naruko didn't know why, but her fist's ached to punch something-and the training post was the best opponent.

* * *

><p>Sasuke's lazily watched Sakura as she made herself comfortable in her stool. Eyeing the door expectantly, where she went Naruko was never too far behind. At any moment her annoying voice would wake his unknown roommate, causing the man to complain to the nurses about obnoxious people barging into his room. At least, that's what <strong>should<strong> be happening right now. His eyes snapped to the contently humming girl, placing things here and there on the plate she had brought with her,-unaware of his stare.

"I brought oranges this time. And got you some-"

"Where's the idiot?" her absents disturbed him, but tried not to show it in his posture, looking out the window bored, pretending to observe the weather. Giant gray clouds slowly rolled over the village, it was going to rain.

All her movements stalled, becoming irritated all over again. "Kiba and the third Hokage's grandson asked her to go with them to the festival and she **ran off**! She didn't even give them an answer." She miffed.

Sasuke blinked once, that was odd, no one ever noticed his teammate like that before. He suddenly felt annoyed, the idiot was off doing stupid things while he was stuck in the hospital. If he could he'd hit her right now. "Sakura…"

"Hmm?"

"Hit the ditz for me when you see her…"

"Uh… sure."

* * *

><p>Naruko felt a light terror crawl up her spine, she felt something bad was going to happen. Or it could've been from the cold, water soaked clothes sapped the warmth from her. At first it was nice, a good cool down from her training, but then the wind started picking up. She shivered miserably under a tree, using it as cover from the rain, not once noticing a figure emerge from the curtain of rain and standing beside her.<p>

"Cold?"

"AHH!" she jumped, eyes wide in surprise.

"Pathetic, and you call yourself a ninja…" Neji's piercing glare surfaced.

Before, Naruko would've been intimated by the older teens icy looks, but now that she's knows she could beat him... "Geeze! At least make foot step noises! Don't just roll up and abruptly say stuff!"

Her patience for her old opponent was very thin apparently. They were lapped in awkward silence.

"You look cold…" Neji said again,

"I am." She mumbled, not bothering to hide the fact that she was. He was just trying to make conversation anyway right?

"Here" his hand was outstretched with his jacket, looking off to the side, not wanting to look at her shocked face. With a little hesitation, Naruko took it and replaced it with her soaked one, relishing in the warmth. Mouth moving faster than her brain, Naruko grinned and said "You know? You're not a bad guy Neji!" his head whipped back to her face in a glare. "Don't go making assumptions about me. I'm only doing what I was raised to do." Rain filled the silence between them, Naruko spoke again, more softly this time.

"No… you try to act emotionless, but you're a good guy!"

Not wanting to argue the Hyuga prodigy stared out into the field, trying to ignore her giant cheeky grin. 360 degree eyesight did have its disadvantages sometimes.

"You and Sasuke are the same!" that caught him off guard.

"Me and **him** have nothing in common!" he practically spat in her face, which made her grin wider.

"Of course you guys are. You both try to act indifferent and cold, but really you're both really warm and fuzzy on the inside! Trying to hide your feelings all the time." Neji didn't know what had over-came him but a deep scarlet blush engulfed his face. Turning on his heel he was prepared to take off into the down pour that surrounded them, when Naruko's hand squeezed his exposed wrist, keeping the flushing teen in place.

"Don't go, it's nothing to be shy about. Actually to tell you the truth I was beginning to think you were a drone." She said, scratching her cheek sheepishly. "But now I know you're human like the rest of us!"

It was a wonder how much the girl resembled a child, innocent big blue eyes, short golden pigtails, and a blissfully ignorant smile. He supposed it wasn't her fault she was so vapid. "Ridiculous…"

Another moment of beating rain passed between them, "Thank you…"

Naruko's tired eyes drifted to him, the day's events were starting to take their toll "Hmm?"

"I said thank you." he announced more confidently. "For standing up for Lady Hinata…" nodding her head, Naruko said in a low whisper. "No problem… but be nice to her from now on. She's a good girl." There was a change in status between them.

No longer the dimwitted moron, the teen girl held a different intelligence within. Her stubbornness and empathy beyond compare, two traits he lacked. He couldn't help but respect her now.

After their fight, Neji spent many hours questioning his destiny, whether or not he was really free to control it. Than Hinata's father, his uncle, the head clan, had summoned him and begged his forgiveness. That was the moment he knew that everything he thought was false. People were free to choose who they wanted to be, even with the seal upon his head, he's free. The only thing keeping him caged was himself, this whole time.

"Looks like it's clearing up…" Naruko pursed her lips thoughtfully, maybe she could run home now. The sky was starting to darken, and she didn't like the smell of her block when it was damp, maybe if she turned on the fan and faced it towards her bed she'd be able to get some sleep.

"Hey…" being called, the blue eyed Uzumaki stared curiously at her companion. His hand outstretched in a handshake. Eyeing it suspiciously, she gave him the most confused look she could muster, probably looking ridiculous. "I want to acknowledge that you beat me. fair and square… also… for standing by Lady Hinata."

His posture was straight and dutiful, putting to practice his hyuga clan taught manners. But Naruko caught the regret in his eyes. He was ashamed of what he did to his cousin, his actions would most likely haunt him for the rest of his life. Just like a Hyuga, not looking for forgiveness or reconciliation, instead just ruefully punishing one's self.

Naruko felt bad for the Hyuga boy, and surprised him by pulling him into a hug, he looked like he really needed it after all. Everyone was taller than the runt blond, which usually gave everyone the impression that she was weaker, when in reality it was the exact opposite. She wrapped her arms around his chest and arms, squeezing tightly before pulling away-goofy grin taking its usual residence. He felt awkward in her arms but didn't pull away.

"Don't worry about it man… We all forgive you. Hinata never hated you in the first place, she **still** doesn't hate you. just learn how to forgive yourself okay?" And just like that, she removed his jacket and handed it back, running off to the village, only turning around once to wave.

Neji stood in that some spot shell shocked, clutching the jacket in his hand in a vice grip. The meaning of what she said finally dawning. A few tears of relief trailed down face, dripping off his chin.

Her eyes see a lot better than his.


	69. Fifth Hokages Festivaltwo days away!

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!**

Fifth Hokage's Festival! 2 days away…

Naruko fidgeted in her seat (Sakura's seat) uncomfortably. The bastard hadn't stopped glaring at her since she first entered the room. She wanted to reach over and poke him in his offending eyes, but her teammate would have her head if she laid a finger on the injured male.

"What's with the look? You wanna fight?!" he shook his head,

Of course the girl was stupid and annoying. They weren't even alone for a minute when he started getting irritated by her presence. "Idiot…" he muttered, causing her to cross her arms in a huff and turned to look out the window, she was only waiting here until Sakura got back. Babysitting an upset Uchiha was one of the last things she'd want to do today. She glanced over to see if he was still glaring, thankfully he found the empty tray in his lap more interesting.

The silence was boring… and awkward.

Deciding whether or not to start a conversation, she sighed, it wasn't his fault she was so testy, not that she couldn't blame him for provoking her. Ever since Kiba had asked her to the festival Naruko's been frustrated and confused. The male mind was a complicated thing.

"Soo…" she began, shrugging off the awkwardness. "Ichiraku's been experimenting with a new ramen." He didn't seem interested but glanced at her from the corner of his eye, letting her know he was listening anyway. "Yeah! He says it's going to be the revolution of diet history."

Sasuke snorted at that "I wouldn't hold your breath…" Naruko seemed to think on this subject a little longer before a small smirk crawled across her face. "You know Sasuke… I remember a certain someone promising me three bowls of ramen." She wiggled her brows suggestively.

He visibly sunk into himself, of course she'd remember that stupid promise from the forest. "Yeah… I remember." He made a move to throw his legs over the bed side. If she wanted ramen now he'd get it and never hear about it again. On fairly sturdy legs he walked out the door, only stopping to turn and give the shocked girl a smug smirk.

"Hey wait a minute Sasuke! I didn't mean now!" she barreled on after him. Sakura would be on a rampage if she found out he was out of bed!

* * *

><p>After a bit of a debate, Naruko had decided to let him buy her ramen. The smell of the stand too overwhelming, and powerful, beckoning her. She could face Sakura's wrath, not like she'd kill her or anything. Maybe just give her a good smack.<p>

Sasuke watched the girl eat-no, **devour**, the ramen in loud gulps. The accompanying slurping sounds she produced were especially horrifying. The tiny slip of a girl ate as if she hadn't eaten for months, or was expecting to never eat again.

"Mumph hmmf!"

"Swallow first." He said in disgust, purposely looking in the opposite direction of her. Not wanting to see the half chewed noodles that rolled around in her mouth.

Laughing in embarrassment she did as told and smiled brightly. "Sorry! I said… Thanks Sasuke! The best kind of ramen is the kind I don't have to pay for!" he didn't know whether that was a compliment or not. But judging from her giant goofy grin he'd guess she'd meant it in a nice way. "Hn.."

Naruko leaned back in her chair, something caught her attention. Following her gaze he found a family, laughing happily and walking together. A scowl slowly made its way onto his face and he looked away from the scene, glaring at the food in front of him. "Hey Sasuke." she spoke softly, still looking at the family wistfully. "Hmm?" He let her know he was listening.

"When I get older, I'm gonna have lots of kids! Yeah, a whole bunch!" her attitude change was so drastic it surprised him. But her loud announcement of wanting kids was more shocking. What brought this up?

"Idiot! don't say things like that out in public!" Naruko looked confused, scanned the area and smiled.

"There's no one else around. Just me and you! Geeze Sasuke you're so paranoid sometimes!"

The blushing boy hid his face in his folded hands, pretending to be casual and lean onto the counter.

"You wanna know why I want a lot of kids?" she continued, making him glare at her from the curtain of black bangs. But she took his silence as a sign to continue.

"Cause I never want them to be alone! If I just had one kid, he'd be by himself, nobody to play with him. But if he had brothers and sisters than they'd always have each other, not a single one of them would be alone!" Sasuke's blush was gone he stared at his teammate with a blank expression.

The girl grew up alone, no siblings or cousins to speak of. Not a single family tie in this in entire village, none that she knew of at least. So it made sense that she would want to have a big family when she married, a large number of kids, a kind open-minded husband. This was just proof to the Uchiha that the girl was like any other female, dreaming of the pristine and happily ever after life every girl wanted. But he found himself oddly complied in believing in what she said, someday, not now, a male of her choice would come in and announce his love for her. And with her being the idiot she was, no doubt she would give them the chance, giving that single person her complete and undivided love.

"… But only _after_ I become Hokage!" she was still rattling on, unaware that he hadn't heard the middle part of her speech. "Hn…" it was probably a good idea not to tell her that though.

"What about you Sasuke? How many kids are you going to have when you get married?" The blush came back in full force, making him hide his face from her curious eyes.

"I don't know… I don't think about those kind of things." Maybe it was best he stayed in that hospitable bed, than he wouldn't have to face this embarrassing conversation. She pursed her lips thoughtfully, becoming confused. "But wasn't it you who said you'd 'restore' your clan or something?"

"Ditz, that's only after…." He trailed off, eyes narrowing dangerously. Sasuke didn't know how she was doing it, but he almost felt at ease talking to her about his past. Almost. "Let's go I'm done eating…" without waiting for her, he smacked the money on the counter and began walking back towards the hospital.

"Hey Sasuke! wait up!"

They walked in silence. Naruko didn't want to agitate the still recovering boy more, and so just stayed as silent as possible. But she never liked the quiet. It made her anxious in fact, made her uneasy to her company she was with. She opened her mouth to say something, but an all too familiar bark had her spinning in place, staring wide eyed at master and pet as they ran up.

"Kiba?!" he looked out of breathe, flustered, and just plain grungy.

"Naruko! I was trying to-**Pant**!-find you all-**Pant**!-this time!" he wheezed, Akamaru atop his head yipped happily at the sight of her. She cast the cute pup a smile and a wary look to Kiba. Naruko didn't know whether to run and leave the Uchiha, which entail her of facing the wrath of Sakura later on. Or man-up (sorta speak) and face what the boy had to say. Even though she knew she'd be able to handle Sakura's fury. The first option seemed the most tempting.

"I'm sorry!" he blurted out,

"What?"

"The others, they must've made you feel… surprised." Lightly put, but more like shocked out of her wits. "Everyone took everything out of context of what I was going to say." He gave a wolfish grin. Naruko eased a bit, good it was all in her head. "Ohh…. Okay, they really did surprise me there… honestly I didn't have a clue what to think!" She was grinning now, all traces of suspicion gone, relieved that the entire struggle was nothing more than an over-exaggeration of her imagination.

"So what were you gonna really say yesterday?"

"I was gonna ask if you wanted to come with team 8 to the festival?" his roguishly charming grin was back in full force. She didn't notice the look of relief flash across his face at her ease. But Sasuke noticed, and immediately walked beside the two, glaring coldly at Kiba who snarled back. "And who'd want to hang out with you losers?"

"Sasuke! what the hell?!" Naruko exclaimed in shock, but she went ignored while they stared each other down.

"Watch your mouth Uchiha! I was talking Naruko not you!." Even though he was saying that Kiba knew he was no match for the teen prodigy. But his current state gave him a limit, and he was more than willing to exploit that temporary handicap.

The black haired boy smirked, "Hn… or what?" he challenged.

The tension in the air was so thick, Naruko didn't have a clue what was going on. The spark of their irritation at each other went unnoticed by her. Just when they were about to continue their argument, the girl was finally fed up. "HEY! NO FIGHTING!"

The brunette boy looked apologetic while the other scowled even more. Not pleased at being interrupted. He muttered in a deadly voice "Shut up Ditz this is just between me and dog breathe over here." That earned him a growl, from girl, dog, and boy.

They silently slid into fighting stances, Kiba cocking a half smirk at the Sharingan user. "I never got to fight you before Sasuke this should be-"

"NARUKO!" said girl flinched in recognition of that shrill voice. A cold chilling fear crawled up her spine. Running back and forth on the spot, she was frantic as she grabbed the closest Uchiha by the back of the collar and sped off towards the hospitable, leaving behind an enormous cloud of dust and a coughing Inuzuka. Their almost-fight forgotten, he stared after the two as they ran, looking up to his companion to see if he had an answer. Akamaru whined, clueless as well.

* * *

><p>"You didn't listen! I clearly told you to stay here and watch Sasuke! Not take him out for ramen!" Sakura bristled haughtily,<p>

Naruko peeked from her spot between the far wall and Sasuke's bed, she kept him as a human shield to stave off the scary Haruno teens hits. "C-calm down Sakura! no need to get too angry here! I mean, he's fine! Look at him-" she pointed to the slightly out of breath boy, his glare cold and annoyed. "See?"

Sakura calmed down a bit, but still stared accusingly at her than turning her brightest and cutest smile on Sasuke. "Well, visiting time is almost over, so me and Naruko are gonna head out now Sasuke. We'll be back tomorrow though!" she stomped over to the blond girls hiding spot and dug her out. Lifting her by the scruff of her jacket Sakura stared intensely into her nervous smiling face. "_Come on_ Naruko. We got people to see."

The teen girl being lifted out the door, threw a pleading look back at the Uchiha, who was smirking at her expense. _You traitorous bastard Sasuke!_

Anxiously, her blue eyes flicked forward onto the Konoha streets and to the eerily quiet pinkette that walked beside her. Ever since they had left the hospital, she had dropped the tiny girl on the ground and stomped off, only muttering a "follow" as she walked.

She was angry, that much she could tell. Talking to her at this point seemed to be a waste of time. Every attempt was shot down with one spine shuttering glare. Naruko wasn't much of a 'silence is golden' type of person and chatted with a disgruntled Haruno, getting growled responses. They stopped, much to her surprise, and Sakura turned to face her, Naruko could see hurt in those green eyes of hers. Those unseen emotions made her take a timid step back, not sure if the girl was about to cry or hit her.

"Were you guys on a date?"

"W-What?! D-Date?! Me and Sasuke? No way! No way! Nu-uh! Never gonna happen!" she shook her head haphazardly, pigtails whipping her face.

Now the silence and sour attitude made sense, Sakura was jealous. As relieved as she was, she felt a little offended that she would accuse her of such a thing. It was _Sasuke_ for crying out loud!

Her teammate still looked a bit unwilling to believe her and narrowed her eyes, asking in a suspicious tone "Really?"

This time Naruko answered with a large laugh, grinning idiotically "Come on Sakura. Give me some credit here. I would date Kakashi Sensei before I dated that jerk!"

Sakura giggled, much to the relief of her friend who chuckled. "And what is wrong with me exactly?" a deep monotone voice drawled.

Looking up, they found Kakashi lazily lounging on billboard, Ichi-Ichi paradise book in hand. Blond eyebrows shot up in surprise, and she brought a hand up to count the reasons, much to the man dismay. "Never mind, I don't want to know." the girl was too brutally honest sometimes. "I just came to give you a heads up. Gai's been looking for you. I'm laying low until he finds something else to obsess over, so I suggest you do the same." He waved and disappeared in a flurry of leaves.

Naruko was frozen, watching the spot Kakashi had just resided, face paling in realization. "Naruko? Naruko, what's wrong?" she waved a hand in front of the whiskered girls face, she noticed her trembling and roughly took hold of both her shoulders, shaking the life back into her. "NARUKO! WHAT'S WRONG!?" she jumped back with a scream when the petrified teen reversed their position's, her smaller hands gripping her shoulders, eyes frantic. "We can't let him find me!"

One long sputtered explanation later, and they were walking again. Naruko ignored the irritated itch the bobbed red wig created against her neck and ears. The course even strands tickled her nose, causing her to constantly blow the strands back in place. It was annoying, but necessary, she concluded. She could deal with all the itching and the two large bandages placed on each side of her face, didn't matter how uncomfortable and self-conscious they made her feel about the size of her face. Naruko was determined to avoid that hyper jonin at all costs!

They passed an open window making both girls stop and stare at her teammates handy work. Naruko smiled appreciatively at the pretty girl in the window, not noticing the figure on the other side until he waved. She waved back in acknowledgement. He winked and made a gesturing motion for her to come in.

The guy was dreamy, tall, boyishly good looks. A dude that really pampered himself. But just like any other time anyone noticed her like this, Naruko ducked, hiding under the sill of the window, Sakura noticed this and peered into the store, a slow smirk forming on her face. "Why not go and say hello?"

"What?! No way! I think he was waving at you! Yeah! You go and say hi. I'll be out here! Yep, I'll just wait out here! On second thought, let's just go!" She had never seen a prettier shade of red on the Uzumaki girls face before. The color almost matched the wig. Rolling her jade green eyes Sakura picked her up off the ground and continued their journey to their destination, but not before making the disguised girl give the cute boy a small wave, which he returned with a sultry smirk and a wave of his own.

It took a bit of annoying whining on Naruko's part, but she finally got Sakura to tell her what they were doing. Yesterday, after she left team 8 and Sakura, Hinata had sounded so ecstatic about the fireworks display that they were going to have she was practically bouncing for joy. Showing more emotions than her usual timid self, and feeling obliged the pink haired teen had asked the girl if she would like to come with them, a clever ruse to keep the hyper blond company while she spent alone time with her Sasuke. She agreed eagerly, thinking of it as nothing more than a girl's night out.

They were currently on route to the Hyuga compound, to see if the shy girl was still willing to go with them to the festival. Only a few feet from the main gates, a couple of lab coat wearing doctors walked out followed closely by Neji who called out to them. "Hey wait a minute!" Taking the initiative, Sakura pushed her friend into the closest hiding spot, shushing the girl to be quiet as she opened her mouth to protest.

"Lady Hinata must be recovered before the festival! She's been looking forward to the fireworks display for the last week!" he implored the two professional's urgently.

"I'm sorry, but Hinata must wait out the week before using her eyes. Or more damage might be done…" the long haired teen gritted his teeth in self-loathing. "If only I had eyebright." the doctor trailed off, but shook his head at the absurd thought. "But it's impossible."

"Eyebright?" Neji asked hopefully.

"Yes, it's a medicinal plant that recovers the eyes. But you'd never be able to obtain one, it's at the valley of judgment." He spoke so ominously. The name sounded scary, but they were determined to find that place and get the medicine needed for their friend.

But first, Naruko had a bone to pick with the lying Hyuga boy. Deeming it safe enough to come out the girl bolted to stand in front of the shocked boy, pointing accusingly at him. "What's going on?!"

Without so much as a glance he turned and headed towards Konoha's main gates. "Leave me alone." He spat, Naruko still chased after him, dragging a reluctant Sakura and continued her pestering on the boy. "What's wrong with Hinata!? Did you do something?!" at this turned on her with a piercing glare, one she was happy enough to return.

"It's none of your bus-"

"You promised you wouldn't hurt Hinata!" That seemed to put him in his place.

An heavy silence fell on the three, Sakura was fidgeting nervously under the all the tension while Naruko planted her feet firmly, expression never changing.

"During the summer at one's 13th year, a ritual within the main family called the Senbon sparring starts… It's where one drills daily until one thousand spars are achieved. Than the head of the family takes over as the sparring partner and passes on secrets of the gentle fist."

She didn't understand what he was talking about and was just about to call him out on it when Sakura butted in. "So you and Hinata were sparring for this 'Senbon sparring' and something happened.." he didn't say anything which she took as a yes. "And since this eyebright will recover one's eyesight, than Hinata must've over used her Byakugan." Sometimes the pink haired Kunoichi was just too smart.

"Right! So why are we still standing around talking? Let's go and get that plant!" she pumped her fist excitedly.

The Hyuga looked about ready to decline any of her involvement when Sakura shook her head, a knowing smile lifting her lips. "There's no talking her out of it now she's made up her mind." He closed his pale pupil less eyes momentarily, than exhaled, regaining his superior attitude.

"Do what you want."

**AN: Leave a review~ just for motivational purposes. ^^ thanks for reading!  
><strong>


	70. Fifth Hokages Festivalone day away!

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, everything belongs to Masashi Kishimoto!**

Hokage Festival~1 day away…

The tingle right before a battle crawled up her spine, making her clench and unclench her fists repeatedly. It was a good feeling, nothing but pure anticipation that coursed through her. Sakura trembled at the feeling as well, but Naruko was reveled in it. It was the first sign to something exciting about to happen.

"I can see with my Byukugan, you two are on your own in there." Neji announced then disappeared into the white fog.

The two girls shared a quick glance at one another, Naruko grinning wildly, and Sakura hesitantly inching towards the edge. Diving deep into the unknown didn't sit very well with the young girl, although her partner didn't see it like that, but more of an opportunity to test her strength. "Come on Sakura! Times a wasting!" She made a move to jump in when her friends hand reached out and stalled her movements. Looking curiously up at her Naruko noted her tight expression.

"Naruko, we can't go jumping into unknown areas without practicing a bit of caution first!" she urged, hoping she'd understand. Thankfully, the dimwitted teen flashed an apologetic grin, hand coming up to rub the back of her head. Sensing a danger never really was her strong points. "Yeah, I got it Sakura."

Nodding, she took a tiny piece of rope from her inside her jacket. And before her teammate could protest she tied it around her waist, using the other end and tying it around her own as well. Tugging slightly on the red rope Naruko grinned once more. "There! Now we can't get lost in the fog!" A simple girl with simple ideas.

Sakura looked about ready to scold the tiny minded female-until she was forcefully yanked downwards in the engulfing clouds. The blond laughing idiotically the whole way down, blissfully ignorant of the other girls cries of panic.

XXXX

Shikamaru lounged lazily into the dining room chair. His usually relaxed features twisted in a frown of concentration. His mother nudged his father muttering something under her breathe. They probably thought he didn't see them, especially when they looked expectantly right at him. His mom was most likely asking what his deal was… but to be frank, he didn't even know. The talk he had with his father the day the Hokage arrived still plagued his thoughts.

He had no idea why the conversation still stuck, but it did and it was annoying.

For years he had known the hyperactive female, the girl was an open book. Both him and Choji had been the girls first few friends, even when people would tell them things about her. "She was a curse" or "she was bad news" everyone had something to say about the little airhead. The way people would talk about her and look at her always left the Nara boy confused… what exactly did she do to gain such animosity?

* * *

><p><em>He could remember the first time he had laid his eyes on the girl. Scraggly, weak looking, and an ever curious expression that never seemed to leave her face. At first he was uninterested, thinking she was just another annoying girl.<em>

_Choji had noticed the girl too, blushing upon seeing her. She was cute and… very bright. Not in the intellectual sense, but more her clothes were bright. Blindingly orange vest jacket, beneath that an equally bright blue long sleeved shirt. The long sleeved shirt and baggy vest accentuating her skinny small frame. Blond pixie wisps of hair heightened the curious crystal blue eyes. The whisker-like marks on her round cheeks were a surprising sight. The girl either drew them on, or she was blessed with looking completely adorable. "She's pretty…" Choji whispered to his friend, who rose an eyebrow at the statement. _

"_Well she is…"_

"_GET OUTTA HERE!" the loud yell brought both boys from their thoughts._

_The owner of the store the mysterious girl browsed in was yelling at the very confused child. But instead of gawking in surprise she bit back with her own glare, not one to be frightened so easily. "I was just looking at the mask! I didn't touch anything!" Shockingly, the man put a firm hand on her shoulder and pushed, not caring as she flopped heavily onto her back. Rubbing the back of her head from the contact of the ground she barked once more. "What the hell was that for!?"_

"_You want it?! Than take it and leave!" he tossed the fox mask at her still laying form and turned around to mind his shop. Dealing with the pest and leaving as she was left lying there on the ground, glaring bitterly at the mask that started it all. _

_No one moved to help the little girl, just watching her as she started to rise and dust herself off. She caught their looks and lashed out in an animal like growl. "What?! Why are you all looking at me like that?!" Some of the women in the crowd gasp in fright._

_Shikamaru noticed her eyes becoming bloodshot, she looked about ready to bawl but turned and ran down the street, the fox mask was left on the ground. _

_Both boys watched her back, one emotionless, while the other with a worried expression. "Why'd that guy do that to her Shikamaru?" he shook his head, not knowing the answer._

_Later that day they found her at the park, sitting with a stony expression on the swings. Shikamaru noticed the kids around the park purposely avoided going near the girl, their parents sending them disapproving looks if they even cast a glance in her direction. Ignoring the horrified stares of the adults he strode directly towards the lone girl with Choji in tow, who hummed nervously. She was too engrossed in her thoughts she didn't notice their approach, the bored looking boy cleared his throat to gain her attention. _

_Her head snapped up at the sudden noise. He resisted the urge to smirk at her and instead offered a lazy smile. "Hey, me and my friend here wanted to know if you wanted to play ninja with us."_

_She looked around to see if he was talking to somebody else and grinned brightly when he meant her. "Yeah! But hey… don't we need more people to play?"_

"_Yeah, we're still looking for people and asked you first! We wanted to know if you wanted to help us look for people!?" the tired looking boys friend piped. Shikamaru was grateful for his quick reply, he hadn't thought that far ahead._

"_Right, so look for people who look cool and not annoying. Come back here and we'll be all set." He drawled exhaustedly. Naruko wanted to giggle at the boys tone, he sounded like an old man in a child's body._

_The three searched for others to join in on their game. Naruko had run out of the park scanning the outside area, her eyes landing on the back of slouching Uchiha as he sat looking depressed. Just a hop skip and away (also the two and a half meter incline) and she could reach the boy in no time. At the time, the girl didn't know him, only really knowing he was part of some big clan that was in the village._

"_Hey!" She shouted. He didn't budge. "Hey you down there!" he turned to give the loud person a scowl. What he found surprised him. A very short scraggly girl raced down the hill, grinning all the way. Was she the person with the loud voice? She sure as hell didn't look like it. _

"_Me and a couple of people were gonna play ninja's! You want to play with us?" yep, she was the one. Arrogance kicking in, the proud Uchiha boy scoffed at her offer. _

"_I don't play." Satisfied with his own answer he turned his back on her, girls were always persistent, but once he turned his back they would always leave. _

"_Why not? It's just a game of ninja!" little did the he know, she wasn't like most girls._

_Shikamaru arrived to see the two polar opposites yelling at each other. He recognized the dark haired kid as Sasuke Uchiha, a member of the Uchiha clan. They were the village's resident police force. His mother had him learn the important families that were in Konoha._

_Now the two were pushing one another. Maybe he should stop them? nah, she looked capable enough to hold her own against him._

_**Splash!**_

_They fell in… these two were troublesome. _

"_Look what you did." even as the two were in the lake they continued their shouting match, Shikamaru figured it was about time he made himself known._

"_Hey! I'm in the water too! Jerk!"_

"_You idiot."_

"_Jerk!"_

"_Ditz!"_

"…_.. Big Jerk!"_

_Their bickering ceased once an unknown persons shadow loomed over. Naruko cracked a lopsided smile at the boy, all together ignoring the tiny Uchiha's searing glare. "You guys okay?" she nodded her head, while Sasuke made a disgruntled huff. _

"_Yeah! I got another person to come and play!"_

_He didn't object, just make another annoyed sound. _

_Shikmaru didn't understand these two. One minute, their each others worst enemies. The next, they could actually tolerate the others presence… made no sense. _

_It was quite a little group Choji gathered in their absence. Two Hyuga's, three giggling girls, a boy and pup, another kid dressed in a Chinese styled shirt and pants. For some reason he was looking at the three girls, blushing. And then there was the boy in round sun glasses. What a weird group…_

_Hours of play later, each one of Naruko's playmates were taken back to their houses by their parents, or brothers. She wanted to stay longer, a day filled with nothing but fun. Sure, it started off bad, but in the end Naruko had the most fun she's had in the past… she couldn't exactly remember the last time anybody was willingly there to play with her. _

_It was just the two of them though, right from the beginning. Choji, Shikamaru, and her. Even though the game was done Naruko was still going up and down the slide. She couldn't understand how the Nara boy could just be content laying there and do nothing! They just had the most fun! "We should do this again!"_

"_We have the academy coming up… not sure if we'd actually have the time." He didn't want to give her false hope. _

"_Then we can play hooky!" _

_Choji answered with a miserable growl of his stomach. "I'm soo hungry…"_

"_Hey there you two are!" _

_The adult who spoke walked exhausted over towards them, his resemblance to Shikamaru was uncanny. "Dad?" that was probably the reason…_

"_Come on, You're mother has just made dinner. And Choji you're father told me to come and get you too," he took both boy's by the hand, ignoring their protests of embarrassment. _

_The park was empty, save for one Uzumaki girl who watched the three walk. Taking one sigh she gazed at the spot the two previously occupied. That same fox mask from earlier that day lay in Shikamaru's spot. _

_She couldn't see his smug smirk, knowing fully well that she'd find it. _

* * *

><p>Where the hell did that come from?! That memory was completely out of left field, Shikamaru thought. He tried to sort out his thoughts, not realizing his mother sat across from him, wearing a very annoyed expression. "SHIKAMARU!" he shot backwards out of his chair in fright. The pitch itself in that scream was so ear splitting he had to muffled the ringing afterwards.<p>

"Gah! What?!"

"You've been sitting there doing nothing but stare into space! Go help your father with the dishes!" insufferable woman…

XXXX

\

Almost instantly the two girls were bombarded with kunai, and the only weapons to defend themselves were a few stray kunai that landed directly beside them. Naruko's feeling of irritation only grew when she tried to jump away, but was immediately tugged back to the side of Sakura who would always bonk her on the head in rage. After all, it **was** her fault they were tied together.

"That's it! I've had enough!" taking the rope in her hands, she made a move to cut it. But the enemy used that moment of vulnerability to down pour them in more sharp objects. It was just a moment, but it was all they needed to get a distracted ninja.

_**Rotation!**_

That familiar skin twisting force rippled across her, propelling her back and crashing into the side of the cannon face. Naruko let out a grunt once Sakura's body crushed her against the rock. "Cut the rope!" she did as she was told.

Once separated Neji had the audacity to keep ordering them around. "Sakura throw Naruko at a 90 degree angle to the right!" She was more than happy to comply. "Wait wait! What now-AHHHHH"

"Naruko throw your fist out to the left!" She heard Neji's voice over her own, and that was saying something. With every ounce of strength she could muster, the blond tossed a powerful hey-maker out into the fog. Her fist cracked someone's cheekbone as she passed a black blur. The blur painfully hit the ground and Naruko landed in a half-squat, staring at the blank face she punched. No mouth or eyes to identify the things face, nothing to indicate it's humanity.

"I see now." In a fit of fear she jumped backwards, crashing blindly into the Hyuga. Rocks shifted around them, more black faceless creatures crawled downwards towards them. Their backs splashed upwards and Kunai made of their bodies shot at them from all angles. Things looked almost hopeless when a green clad figure sprung in front of them. Fog coiling around the persons orange wrapped legs.

"Super Bushy-brow sensei!"

_**Leaf Hurricane Whirl Wind!**_

_**Lightning Blade!**_

Their enemy receded back into the safety of the fog, knowing the two new comers were high-leveled shinobi. A menacing air settled on the group as the two teachers turned to stare blankly at the students. "Hey!" Naruko nervously chuckled.

"You three were looking for the Eyebright… but you know what these people are, right Neji?" he didn't answer, merely glare. It was obvious they needed the curative abilities of the plant, but than Hinata sad face of not being able to see the fireworks popped into his head, he needed that plant… not for himself but for her. She wouldn't have been like that in the first place if it wasn't for him.

"You know Hinata wouldn't want you to take it, especially if she knew others needed it more." He couldn't deny that logic. If Hinata had found out he had taken the plant from people who needed it more… she'd be disgusted and mostly disappointed in him.

"I understand."

Upon returning to the Village Neji immediately excused himself, saying he had "duties to attend" whatever that meant. But Naruko shrugged it off and raced for the blind Hyuga girl's house, telling her of their little adventure they had with the girls cousin.

Hinata seemed to be in a state of shock at first, but she believed her after Sakura arrived and confirmed the whole story.

To hear Neji actually caring about her was a bit of a shocker, flattering as it was, it was still mind boggling to know.

"Thank you… both of you."

"Your welco-mmf!"

"No! No! You should really thank Neji! We wouldn't have known about the whole thing if it wasn't for him!" Sakura struggled against the younger girl, using her monstrous strength to keep her from taking the credit.

"That's right…" Hinata giggled into her hand at the mental image of the two acting like they usually do. There was nothing she could do to express her gradtitude to her cousin... maybe make him a cake?  
>Nah, that would most likely embarrass... maybe for now she'd save him the awkwardness of a 'thank you' and just respect him from afar.<p>

Neji was a good guy... he was just uncomfortable with affection.

* * *

><p><strong>An: Sorry about updating late again guys. I've just been not interested in writing this lately. Thinking of having someone adopt it… not a for sure thing right now. <strong>

**But Anyway! Happy birthday to angelvan105! As a birthday present for her I'll be writing a oneshot based on her favourite Naruto episode (filler). It's a thanks to her and her appreciated continued support and inspiring reviews that I was even still interested in writing, HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUDDY! ^^**


	71. Fifth Hokages Festival!

Fifth Hokage's Festival~ Fireworks!

It was sunny, not a single cloud to be seen. It was a perfect day for the festival! So… why did she feel so sad?

"-than that's when Ino-" As much as Naruko strained to pay attention to Sakura's story, her mind would float back to Hinata and her blinded unseeing eyes. It pained her to know that the only reason she wanted to attend the festival, in the first place, was solely because of the fireworks. Out of every one of them, that girl deserved a break the most. Being the heir to a mega important clan in the village would defiantly be grating on the nerves.

"Naruko? What's up?" Sakura asked a little concerned,

"Oh… uhh yeah, well I was just feeling bad you-know?" she abashedly chuckled.

Offering an understanding smile, her friend patted her shoulder gently. These particular expressions she made, reminded Naruko of the way older siblings would look at one another in the neighbourhood park near her street. "You can't think about those things on happy days. It'll just ruin your day."

"But I can't help it… she was so excited about the fireworks." Her shoulders drooped miserably. "I wish there was something we could do…" than a thought struck her, "I know! Why don't me, you, and Sasuke sneak into the Hyuga compound and bring her with us? That way she isn't missing out on all the fun!" Sakura looked uncomfortable with that idea.

"Even if we could sneak into the Hyuga compound, do you really think Neji would let her come? We'd just be making her wish." Naruko's expression fell. "… You're right …" What was the point in going if one of her dearest friends couldn't enjoy the festival like the rest of them? She'd feel better to not see the whole thing either.

… Not to see the whole thing… now there was an idea.

"How about we go get ramen?" Praise Sakura and her pity ramen!

* * *

><p>By sunset, Konoha streets were crawling with festival on-goers. All of Rookie nine were also in attendance of the festival, every teen ninja wearing their own traditional yukata and kimono's. It was a rare occasion for the ninja nation to be so relaxed and carefree, especially for one uptight Uchiha. Sakura admired the handsome male from the corner of her eye. Forehead protector not needed for the night, hands buried into opposite baggy sleeves, his ever cool and calm exterior present, Sasuke was practically a walking work of art!<p>

"Wow! Hey Sakura look at that!" Naruko tugged insistently at her pink sleeve, eyes wide like that of a mindless calf. It always surprised her how much the girl could change in a dress, as if she wasn't the same shaggy haired hyper tomboy all of Konoha knew her as. Sakura prided herself in her handy work on the girls drastic change. Her orange kimono complimenting both eyes and hair, the hair she spent an hour of brushing and styling into an up-do bun. For just this one night Naruko was **her** walking piece of artwork.

But at times like these, Ino would be a good companion in ogling males. She had that discerning eye of a teenage girl, like herself. Not that she didn't favour Naruko's company over the nit-picking shrew; there was just a few things that set the two blonds apart. And the little blond just wasn't into romance as much as her and Ino.

It was a good night… she just wished she had a moment alone with Sasuke for once.

Fireworks were just about to start and Naruko had pulled her two teammates away from the rest of the crowded district. Yelling out in mid sprint "better spot!" Sakura was slightly irritated at being torn away from the many admiring boys that tried flirting with her, while Sasuke merely followed, not caring in the least of where he was going.

They arrived at an area by the lake, their grinning guide spinning on the spot, arms stretched towards the sky. It was clear, a perfect night for fireworks, the perfect spot for a certain someone to fall head-over-heels in love with her! Sakura silently thanked her friend for the opportunity and sat on a nearby bench and waited.

Once all were seated, a lap of silence fell on the three. Naruko ruffled around in the opening of her kimono for an item she seemed keen on finding and smiled once she found it. Both older teens watched in mild interest as the curious girl fiddled with the sash and than used the object to cover her eyes. Sakura immediately knew what she was doing, but Sasuke scoffed at her idiocy.

"Ditz, You won't be able to see the fireworks with that thing on."

"I know that captain obvious! I was just… I think that… if Hinata can't watch the fireworks.. than I don't want to. It's not fair" whiskered cheeks burned in red embarrassment.

Sakura smiled sadly, but at the same time was glad. Now it was like her and Sasuke are alone! Thanks to the blonds sense of honor.

The loud crackling of the first firework brought their attention to the sky. Iridescent multi-coloured explosions lit up the sky, and reflected off the surface of the water. Sakura smiled in awe, but their only male companion didn't take his eyes off the blond for one second. How stupid could she be? Depraving herself of a moment like this wouldn't help the Hyuga. There was no logic to her blinding herself when she's shifting around so anxiously to see.

In a swift movement, the tie around her head slipped and she turned to face the culprit who did it, at the ready to chew him out. Another ball of fireworks burst and crackled across the sky, shocked she turned to face it. Every color that painted the night sky shone in her bright blue eyes.

"Wow…" he couldn't have worded it better himself…

He may deny it, he may down right tell people he hated it, but this would be a good memory.

Naruko didn't know what to feel, happy? Guilty? All of these emotions seemed to float around in her head. Looking for a person to look to for help, she turned to the one person that was next to her. His dark unreadable expression seemed endless. At that moment he was like a blank slate, un-judging, expressionless, -in his own way- happy. This side of him was very note-worthy, and interesting. For so long he tries to hide everything from prying eyes, and Naruko's speechless once she sees he's let his guard down. A warming smile tugged at the sides of her mouth, it was good to see the uptight Uchiha let himself be vulnerable for once, all her friends deserved to be happy.

Subconsciously, her hand found its way to his. He was shocked and didn't protest to the new warmth her hand brought once she held his. Holding hands didn't matter right? Wasn't that what he said to her in the forest? So he wouldn't mind if she held his hand just this once. She needed the contact at the moment and from the looks of it, so did he. Hugging him was out of the question, and Sakura was on the other side of him. He'd have to do.

Smiling, she turned back to the display in the sky and continued to watch on in happy silence. No one could take this special moment away from her.

Sasuke silently watched as well, but kept a mental picture of Naruko's serene expression permanently engraved into his memory.

Tomorrows another day, enjoy tonight…

* * *

><p>The week went by relatively fast. Sasuke was released from the hospital, Hinata got her eyesight back, and everything was back to normal. Now team seven's only concern was the rookie nine event picnic.<p>

They all hadn't seen each other in a while, so their get together was… for a lack of a better word, awkward. Well, awkward for them, the simple minded blond was blissfully unaware of all the tension that transpired within the entire group. "HEY GUYS!" Sakura gave her a good whack on the back of the head. "Idiot! could you be any louder!?"

She smiled apologetically, "hehe sorry! I got a little excited. I mean, everyone, together! Eating barbeque! This is soo exciting!"

Maybe she built too much excitement outta this… but this wasn't what she was expecting. Once everyone had arrived they split up to different areas of the beach. Team 7 being closer to the water, 10 and guys team both perched on opposite cliff-sides over-looking their spot, and team 8 was seated comfortably in the nearby woods.

Weren't they all suppose to be having a picnic together? She guessed ninja's just naturally all had trust issues.

It didn't have any to do to with a certain raven haired teen glaring at anyone who came near them. No, that'd be ridiculous!

"Aww… I'm out, did you guys see any vending machines out here?" their sensei spoke, experimentally shaking out his can for good measure.

"I seen a few on the way in here! When we first came in!" Sakura replied.

"Well, I'm gonna go get some more, you all behave now." he said it, but in Naruko's book 'behave' was such a vague term. With her sensei gone, she dumped the rest of their meats onto the fire, smiling evilly all the while.

"Naruko! Don't be such a pain!... and put more vegetables on there, you can't always keep eating meat." The green eyed female scolded.

"But Sasuke's only been eating meat, this whole time!" she whined

"That's because he's allowed to."

"Why him?!"

"Could you pass the sauce?" he interjected. Thankfully, they both shut up and continued with the silence-however short it was. She turned to fetch the bottle of sauce, when a light sparkled curiously from the sand. Soon, Naruko was digging, and pulled out a grey vase.

"Hey guys! Look what I found!" she showed her new findings to the two. Sakura scrunched up her nose in disgust at the eyesore, while Sasuke merely grunted in acknowledgment, still waiting to be passed the sauce.

"Naruko! Put that thing back where you found it! You have no idea where it's been!"

"But I like it! I wanna see what's inside it…" she popped off the cork and was not expecting the large gust of purple smoke that burst out of it.

Now interested, all of team 7 looked in awe of the large husky man that appeared, wearing sharp glasses and odd clothing. "After a thousand years I'm free! The world is waiting for me! And who am I? I'm the famous genie of the lamp! And that means you three lucky kiddies get three wishes! Anything you want…"

"Naruko… the sauce."

"Oh! Here you go!"

The mans loud proclamation went on deaf ears as the three continued their eating. "Hey! Listen to me!"

"I wonder what it's going to do…"

"Naruko don't talk to it!"

"It looks suspicious."

"I'm not suspicious! I'm the real deal, honest!"

"Yeah right."

"Naruko I told you not to talk to it!"

Getting fed up with the back and forth, the genie leaned in more and pleaded. "But I am a genie! I can't tell a lie!"

Looks like the thing wasn't going away, so Naruko challenged it, to see if it was really telling the truth. "Oh yeah!? Well prove it! I want ten servings of meat!"

In a poof of smoke, a large platter of raw meat appeared at their feet. "Whoa! You're a real genie!"

At a moment's notice, Sakura was standing in front of it. Hands interlaced in front of her face. "Wow! You're so awesome Mr. Genie!" that gleam in her eye sent a shiver down the Uzumaki girl's spine, that look spelled nothing but **doom**.

He blushed in embarrassment at the tiny cute girls praise, "Aww! I am aren't I? Anyway! You now after two more wishes! So what's next?"

A look was passed between the three, and they strategically huddled together to talk of what they wanted. "We can't waste the last two on something stupid… like money."

"Wouldn't those be the easier ones to make Sakura?"

"I'm being realistic here-"

"So have you three decided?" the genie looked anxious to get on with the next two wishes, rudely poking his large head between the two girls, smiling at their shocked looks. "W-well… you see-"

"Naruko stay outta this." Sasuke glared, earning him a confused hurt pout. "What! why?!" instead of saving the girls feelings, he merely looked at the supernatural being behind her. "You already wasted a wish." A plausible reason, but it was a **genie**! The first wish was a test! "So what if I did!"

"So what do you wish for?" there he was again, interrupting their conversation! Naruko was sick of it already!

"Shut up and wait a minute!" he leaned away with a smile, "Whatever you say!" he quieted, than spoke in a booming voice once again. "You're down to one wish!"

"WHAT?! No! no! no! I take that back! That wasn't a wish!"

"Nope, sorry, No take backs!." He was enjoying this.

"Why not?!"

His purple cloud 'tail' picked up the tiny vase, and turned it over to a side that was scrawled in black ink. "Refer to the third paragraph of the instruction manual." Upon inspection, there it was, the rule that clearly stated 'in no way is a wish retracted or cause for any do-overs'.

"Oh, son-of-a-gun, it's right there…"

"Indeed, so what's your last wish?"

"You idiot!"

"Why'd you do that?!" both Sasuke and Sakura shouted at the guilty girl.

"There's only one wish left, what are we gonna do?" Once again they were seated back into the circle. The genie, looking bored of waiting, decided to wait in his lamp. No one protested, it would defiantly be a long debate over what the last wish would be, let alone who makes it.

"Well, I think there my wishes since I found it!"

"Shut up you dolt, you already wasted two wishes!" Naruko coward in fear at the murderous intent that radiated off the other teen. "Ah, oh-okay… what would you wish for Sakura?" Her face was splashed in a hue of pink, practically matching her hair! And with that shifty eyed look, she could tell only thing was on her mind, or person. "Well.. something meaningful of cour-"

"Liar! I'm gonna be Hokage!" taking the bottle from the distracted teen, Naruko sprinted off into the woods, laughing like a maniac.

The other two soon followed after, not willing to give her the chance to open the bottle and waste another wish on something stupid. But unbeknownst to team 7 all the rest of Konoha 11 had heard the entire commotion and were now on the chase as well-minus Hinata and Choji who were just surprised by the sudden turn of events.

* * *

><p>Naruko figured she was at a good enough distance away and stopped, prepared to remove the cork when a whistle cut through the forest sounds.<p>

Kiba stood, hands behind his head with a wolfish smirk. "Hand over the bottle nice and slow Naruko, that last wish is mine! I would prefer not to hurt you, but this is the matter of the heart!" Akamaru barked in agreement.

"No way! This is my wish!" she glared and protectively moved the vase behind her. her feet slid into a fighting stance, she was ready to fight for this important wish if need be.

"I figured you'd say that… let's go Akamaru!"

_**Fang-Over-Fang!**_

Naruko braced herself for the oncoming attack, but a large ball of fire interceded. Once the two attacks collided, Kiba and his pup were sent flying away into the air. Coughing slightly, she fanned the dust away, straining to see passed the smoke.

Of course it had to be Sasuke! walking through the flames, his facial features pulled into one of fierce determination. "Hand over the bottle."

"Not you too!" she propelled herself into the brush of the woods, knowing full well that the Uchiha would most-likely be hot on her tail. She wasn't wrong. He appeared running next to her. "Why do you care so much? This isn't like you at all Sasuke! What would you need a wish for?!"

"Shut up! It's none-of-your-business!"

"Than I'm not giving you the bottle!" she pushed her legs into over-drive, running further ahead of the black haired male.

_**Phoenix Flower Jutsu!**_

Naruko had narrowly dodged that attack, using her speed to flip her backwards into the air and landing on all fours. "You jerk! You would've seriously hurt me!" he merely grunted, making her even more irritated. "Fine, my turn!" both hands formed her usual sign.

"Stop it!"

Sakura arrived on the scene desperately between the two. "Both of you only want your wishes to be granted without putting any effort into it! Am I right?" they flinched at how right she was. "That aside, Aren't we a team? Or was that all just a lie?" tears threatened to spill.

Feeling ashamed, Naruko looked at the ground and nodded. "You're right, it's pretty stupid for us to be fighting each other-" "-Sucker!" The vase disappeared from her hand and was now making it's speedy get away in the large clearing ahead.

"You idiot! How could you fall for that?! Now she's getting away!"

"It wouldn't have happened if you hadn't chased me!" Getting fed up with the time wasting argument, she just shouted in frustration and took off after the other female, she couldn't have gotten far.

She arrived on time to find Ino and Sakura staring shell-shocked at Shino, the prize in his hands! What luck! He wasn't even paying attention to his surroundings. Just standing there talking in that eerie monotone voice.

"-favourite flower is the chameleon flower-" with a beast kick, Shino was knocked sideways into the ground, leaving the bottle air-born. She caught it with relative ease and continued to sprint off into the woods. "~I'm gonna be Hokage!~" she sang.

At that moment, team guy had surrounded her, Neji at her back, Ten-Ten and Lee at her sides, they had her boxed in. There was just no rest for the girl.

"Naruko! I would like the bottle please!"

"What do you need the bottle for bushy-brows?!"

"For more passion and resolve!"

"Wouldn't that just make you even more of a exercise nut?"

_**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**_

Hail's of Uzumaki's rained down from the sky, each one no different from the last, all carrying fake purple bottles atop their heads. Team Guy split up and individually attacked groups, dispelling the fakes, hoping to hit the real one.

With practically all the clones gone, Naruko had no way of distracting them and found herself trapped like a rat at the bottom of a giant cliff. Ten-Ten, Neji, and Lee walked her further into the large niche. "End of the line Naruko, now hand it over."

"Naruko!" Sakura's bellowed. surprisingly, Sasuke stood at her side. "Naruko hand over the bottle to us and we'll help get you out of there!"

As much as she considered herself a member of team 7, she just couldn't bring herself to trust the word of that arrogant Uchiha. "No! get lost!"

"Keep this up and they'll get that bottle! We'll decide who get's the wish afterwards!" uncertainty was still in her eyes, and Neji was happy enough to exploit that feeling. "If you were her, would you trust another person with it? If you give it to them, their wishes would only end up destroying it. Give us the bottle Naruko."

"Naruko! Please believe in us!" her mind was made up. Pulling back, she used all her might to throw the wretched thing over the heads of team guy. Sakura giddily caught the thrown object, but was surprised once the object was a one and only Akamaru.

"Bark!"

"Alright Akamaru! Good one!" the pup jumped from the stunned girls hands and raced alongside his owner. "It's our wish that'll be granted!" "Bark! Bark!" Kiba was so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed three paper-bombed kunai strike the ground at his feet, well, until they exploded that is. Ino caught the bottled genie mid-air, laughing at her cleverness. But Sakura, not one for being outdone by Ino, tossed a few of her own kunai. The resulting blast sent both girl and bottle out of sight.

Neji, with his good eyes, spotted the thing flying back towards the beach.

* * *

><p>Still standing in her spot the others left her, Hinata unknowingly caught the vase in her cradled hands. Naruko roared happily at her luck! "Yes! Hinata! Give me the bottle!" she was confused, until another voice cut through. "Lady Hinata, please, may I have the bottle?…" Neji asked,<p>

Now everyone had surrounded her, waiting for her to pass it to one of them. "Hinata! Give the bottle to your teammates!" Kiba called. More people were shouting. Becoming scared, she raised the cursed thing above her head. "L-look what's this thing has done to all of you! It's all because of this!... I-If I smash it- argh! My body, I can't move!" the Hyuga girl became rigid, a black shadow following directly to the one who was the cause. "Shadow possession: complete"

"Shikarmaru?! You want the bottle?! You can't have it! There's already too much people!"

"Settle down already, I'm here to solve all our problems… we could just wish for more wishes." A silence fell on the genin, Naruko being the first to speak. "Can we do that?" Ino on the other hand was filled with pride that a member from her team had figured it out. "Way a go Shikamaru! That's a 200 I.Q genius for you!"

Once things were settled, they gathered around the bottle waiting for Shikamaru's theory to be right. "I'm going to open it." The same large glasses wearing Genie appeared, looking bored. "It's about time, I was starting to get sleepy. So, did you all decide on what your final wish will be?"

"Yes! We have!" that same rambunctious blond from before announced excitedly. "Okay than, go on."

"Our last wish is…"

"Hey, someone give me change!" Kakashi demanded from behind the group. "Those machines don't accept can refunds."

"Your wish has been granted!" four coins appeared mid-air and landed into the flat palm of their chaperon.

"Ah, thanks"

"You're welcome! See you again in a thousand years." he receded back into his bottle, it flew straight up into the sky, never to be seen again.

"What was that?... what's wrong with you guys?" not a single soul answered, all too speechless to utter a single word.

* * *

><p>And just like that, no one ever spoke of the ordeal they faced that day. It was best they ever forget something that disappointing…<p>

Instead, life went on, working themselves to the bone to reach their goals.

* * *

><p>"And so we'll split into two teams and wait for the bandits in both positions. To keep the teams balanced, I'll be on one, and you three will be on the other."<p>

Naruko tilted her head to one side curiously. "Now wait, hold on, does that mean Sasuke needs all the help he can get?"

"No! he means you." that ticked her off, but he ignored her and looked to their sensei. "I know I'm not up to you're level yet. But I doubt you need three on one team. So why don't you take Naruko off my hands? You subtract her skill from yours and we'll be even." He tried to sound persuasive enough for the older male to **at least** consider it.

Sakura got all goo-goo eyed at the prospect of the Uchiha planning to spend alone time with her.

"Oh come on! How come my skills would subtract from his!"

"Simple, you have nothing to add."

"Oh! Sasuke wants to be with me so much he can't even wait!"

"Maybe it'd be better if I was by myself instead…"

Impatient, Kakashi slammed the green container to the ground. A wave of lightning struck the three into silence, he cleared his throat, finally gaining the little brats attention. "Pay attention now, I'll watch the pier, and you three will keep an eye on this path in the forest." He pointed out the marks on the map. "If the thieves appear notify me right away. Do not underestimate them. Our mission is to retrieve a stolen golden statue. We must proceed with the utmost caution." Naruko hung off his every word, nodding in understanding. "If the thieves appear in my location, I'll send a signal with this." He lifted that same object that shocked all of them earlier. "it send a lighting bolt straight into the air, once you verify that it went off, rush straight to the location that it marks."

The blond eyed the thing suspiciously. "You'd better be careful with that thing, I don't wanna be zapped again."

"Remember, you three are not to act on your own." He said it with such finality, but all the girl could do was glare into the black-haired boys head.

* * *

><p>The three genin waited, in the perched spots of their respective trees. Naruko would occasionally toss a look over at Sasuke, making sure he was still in place. So far, he looked bored, just like her.<p>

Unknown head's bobbed over the rise, and Sakura gasped from her spot. "It's the thieves!" she whispered, It was a bit too much of wistful thinking to have a quiet mission for once.

There was six of them, as far as the blond cared to count, and the one at the head of the group was most likely their bandit leader. Suddenly, their only cargo horse stumbled, then continued to fall sideways, neighing fretfully in fear. But before the large creature could tumble down off the side of the road, a glob of blue shot out from the leaders right hand, and attached itself to the side it's neck, Whatever that stuff was, it was durable, cause once it was struck it didn't look nothing could break it.

"You idiot! be careful with that treasure you hear me?!" he barked at the man responsible. "Yes! Sorry boss Jacko!" It didn't take a genius to deduct that the large crate in the horses back held the statue.

Naruko, forgetting her silent promise, threw a sideways glance at Sasuke, that sneaky bastard! He was planning to stop them himself!

Standing up herself, she matched his rivaling glare, challenging him. In response, he scoffed at her attempts to seem threatening.

"_I'm not gonna lose to Sasuke!"_

**~REVIEW!**


	72. A big jerk!

**Disclaimer: I own nothing…**

A walk in my rival's shoes!

The small ponytailed bandit struggled against the horses thrashing, his traveling companions laughing as he was practically tossed off his feet left and right. "Hurry up! We gotta get going!" their boss, Jacko, yelled impatiently. Redoubling his efforts, the tiny bandit pulled harder on the reins by turning around and using the muscles in his shoulders and legs.

Making one big groan of frustration, he opened his eyes and yelped in surprise. "NINJA'S!"

Blurs of blue and orange tackled the fretting horse, hanging off his back as he bucked and kicked. So much strength was used to try and throw the two-potential predators off his back, that the animal hadn't felt the old rotten birch tree separating- them and a downwards slope off the cliff- snapped!

Both shinobi's held on to dearlife as they went at a spiralling speed down the hill. Their speed was so fast that both the teens, and crate, were ripped from the horse, still spinning in their-descend.

Caught off guard by the unexpected attack, Jacko's group of vagabonds just watched the entire scene play out, too shocked to really do anything. That is, until their treasure went tumbling down the hill. Jacko was the fastest to react. Sprinting to the edge, he jumped after the two unknown ninja that were trying to run away with **his** treasure. "Give me back that treasure you brats!"

Naruko, even with the world moving so fast around her, she still had the sense to laugh out at the man. "HA! Not a chance, Loser!"

Jacko shot widely at the two ninja's, his streams of blue glob missing until one actually hit his target. Screaming in surprise, Naruko was forced to let go of the crate as it shattered on a rock. Sasuke, being the first to recover, noticed the now-exposed golden statue flying through the air and sprung after it- unaware of his blond teammate clinging to his left arm. There was no thinking on his part, just the objective. And she was probably the first to realize that he had jumped off the deliriously high cliff.

"SASUKE YOU IDIOT!" she shouted before they falling.

Jacko watched the two drop, gritted his teeth and turned to walk back up the hill. There, his band of thieves smirked. "Boss! We got one of them!" they announced proudly, having done something competent. A pink haired girl dressed in red was thrown at his feet. "We got her before she could launch off a signal. Most-likely to bring more ninja's after us."

He stalked over towards her, pulled her chin into a bruising grip and said through gritted teeth. "At least we have a hostage…We'll search for her friends downstream. And when we find them, I'm ripping them both limb from limb for ever messing with me."

* * *

><p>Naruko sucked in large breaths of air, relieved that every pant lessened the tightening in her chest. Her vision was no longer black, but the numbness in her arms and legs were signs-telling her that they were strained and weakened. Beside her, Sasuke panted as well, most likely feeling the same fatigue drain as her. They had both fallen-to what would usually kill non-shinobis-off a waterfall and lived. But since the drop was so sudden, they didn't have enough time to fully prepare themselves for the impact of the water and wound up still feeling the after effects of drop.<p>

Sasuke lifted the statue in the air, using its body to block the sun out of his eyes and scowled at the sight of it. Naruko wanted to laugh, but couldn't because her lungs were already in use at the moment. "I can't believe they'd take something… as ridiculous as this….. teddy bear!?" she said between breaths.

Not wanting to look at the idiotic thing anymore, Sasuke let his arm fall back to his side. "The thunder bolt to warn Kakashi… it didn't go off did it?"

"Ah… no I don't think so…"

"Than that means… Sakura couldn't release it." His teammate gasped at the realization of that thought. "Oh my gosh, You're right! Than that means Sakura could be…" she immediately jumped to her feet, ready to go and rescue her friend, when an unknown force stopped her. Curiously, she turned back around to see large shocked obsidian eyes looking back at her. Than they both looked at the thing that connected them. A big blue rubbery ball formed over their hands. Second passed by, registering the sight of it.

Their hands, connected, together.

Naruko tested it by tugging on her hand, than started to freak out when she didn't come free. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" Sasuke stood up, examined the thing. "We're stuck together."

The two shared a look, turned on their opposite feet, and began to pull with all their might. It stretched under their strength, pulling further and further, like a wade of gum. But not long after the thing had snapped them back together.

"That didn't work…"

"I know that idiot!"

Changing tactics, they went for a more barbaric approach and charged a nearby boulder. With all their strength, they punched the boulder with the blue glob. It had done nothing but sent shooting pains up their arms.

"Come on Sasuke! you're suppose to be the smart one!"

"Shut up, you dolt!"

Their third attempt was a lot more planned out. Jump from the waterfall and use one of the rocks at the bottom to snapped it off… okay maybe not more planned out, but Sasuke was at his wit's end and Naruko didn't have any to start with! Looking down at the distance of the fall, they nodded to one another and jumped. Once they hit the water the rock was about to snap it, instead it had slingshot them back into the air. Naruko collided painfully into the Uchiha-face first. Mid-air she opened her eyes to see his horrified expression, along with their mouths pushing forcefully into one another's. The water was even more cold once she hit it, face red and heated.

Both teens broke the surface, red engulfing their cheeks. Naruko didn't dare look at him and proceeded to harshly rub her mouth with the back of her hand, thinking that it would get rid of the taste of him. That kiss, reminded her of their first one at the academy. When she was pushed into him from behind, and being caught by surprise, she fell. That kiss had cut her top lip than, and feeling her bottom lip now, it was cut again. Sasuke was turned away as well, but said in frustration. "Why am I always kissing you?!"

"You took the words right out of my mouth!" she yelled back. But took in some satisfaction when she seen his lower lip split. Good, this time she wasn't the only one that was hurt.

Unconsciously, Sasuke reached up with his left hand to touch his lip, but sighed when he realized they were still trapped together. Naruko noticed too and groaned. "All that for nothing."

After some time had passed, and they wordlessly promised never to speak of the incident, both of them were sitting under the sun for their clothes to dry. Naruko wanted to pace, get up and move, but his _highness_ had told her his clothes were wet, and he wasn't going to get sick because of her. So here they were, looking out at the rushing river in silence, Sasuke might've thought this was peaceful, just sitting there with his eyes closed, resting. But Naruko was bored out of her mind! Enjoying nature and resting lazily was for old people. She was thirteen and everything in the world was dire!

Sakura's situation was dire! And every minute they sat here waiting for their clothes to dry, she didn't know what was happening to Sakura right now! Finally fed up, the blond stood up, looked irritated at the Uchiha, who shot the expression right back, and yelled. "Sakura could be in danger right now! Why are we just sitting around doing nothing?!" he looked like he was about to say something, but she cut him off by huffing a final time and running downstream.

Sasuke shouted in surprise at the unexpected move, and yelled as she dragged him. "Naruko! Wait you idiot!" she didn't look like she was listening, so he swung his lower body around and under the running girl, making her trip and land on his upper body that was now facing her. She turned her head just in time to avoid another stolen kiss, but she was glad her cheek bone smashed into his nose. Anger boiled up inside her at what he did, fisting the front of his shirt in her good hand she growled in his face. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing Sasuke?! Don't you care what happens to your teammate?!"

"Look, we _will_ save her! But we can't do anything while we're like this." he tried to keep an even tone, calm her frantic behaviour.

"She always tries to make you see her feelings, always asking you out! Yet you always, _always_, reject her. Just because you don't care about us doesn't mean we don't care about you! But why?! WHY?! Are you always such a jerk?!"

She was babbling non-sense, looking for someone to blame, and he was the closest thing. So instead of getting upset and screaming back at her, Sasuke laid flat on his back and allowed the shaking girl to let out her frustrations. "Are you so cold hearted… that you just don't care about either of us?" her grip loosened, hand falling to his chest.

After a long stretch of silence, Sasuke scoffed. Naruko's ocean blue eyes snapped to his face, which was turned away, an annoyed look furrowing on his brow. "… I never said I didn't care…"

"What?" his voice was so quiet she had to lean in to hear.

"…I never said that I didn't care…" he repeated.

They were consumed in another lap of silence. It was awkward and very hard for the Uchiha to keep fighting his blush down. Growling, he turned to yell at the girl above him, but stopped once he seen the look of horror in her eyes.

"What's wrong? Naruko?"

"… I gotta go…"

"What?" this time, _her_ voice was too quiet.

"I said, I gotta… pee." Red enflamed her face, Sasuke immediately pushed the girl off him, unknowing making her curl into herself. He felt guilty for being so rough, but didn't know how to apologize without looking like an idiot. Instead he searched the area, spotted the river and pointed to it. "You can go in the river." He said quickly, not looking at her.

Her eyes flicked to the water than back down to her clothes. "I don't wanna dry my clothes again…" suddenly, and surprisingly! She used her one hand to unzip her orange shorts. The Uchiha's eyes bugged out as he gripped her hand from going any further. "Just what the hell are you doing?! You can't take your pants off in front of me!" he was flabbergasted that she was even comfortable enough to attempt it.

Naruko tilted her head to the side, giving him a questioning look. "Why not? You seen up my shirt before… It's not like I'm completely naked underneath or anything anyway. And if you're so uncomfortable it with, you can just look away." Where did this boldness come from?! Was she so detached from feminism that she'd completely forgotten her female morals?! Or did she just need to pee that badly? Sasuke shook his head. That didn't matter, there was no way he'd let her get undressed in front of him! It was just… indecent.

"No! just go in as you are! It's not right."

"But, it's not right either way. I'm still going to be going to the bathroom in front of you. I just don't want to go in my pants."

"No Naruko!" he tried to push her towards the water, emphasize his point to just go in as she was. But Naruko was never someone you pushed, because she'd pushed right back.

As they wrestled, one pushing the other, they stumbled out into an opening. And it was there they saw a man, taking a leak. He looked just about as surprised as they were. Naruko zipped up her pants, recognizing the man as one of Jacko's men.

He yelled in panic, reached behind him and withdrew his weapon chain. "Give us back the treasure!"

Both the teens tried to hop off in opposite directions, but because of the blue glob, they were smacked back together. Sasuke grunted, noticed he was about to throw a bomb, and dragged Naruko off her feet; narrowly dodged the blast. The girl threw both hands up in a sign.

_**Shadow clone Jutsu!**_

Nothing happened.

Sasuke tore his hand-that was still attached to hers!-back down to his side. "You idiot! you need two hands, we can't make signs while we're stuck like this!"

"Well, I know that now."

The bandit let out a very annoying laugh, knowing that two weren't a match against him now.

Sasuke turned away, ready to outrun the man, at least they were still faster than him. But Naruko stood her ground, staring the bandit down with determination in her eyes. "Naruko stop it!"

"No! If you don't want to help, than I'll cut my arm off!" a kunai twirled in her hand. "Sakura would've rescued me, I would've done the same for you, even if you are big jerk! but I can't sit still knowing one of my friends are in danger! I'm gonna beat this guy and go save Sakura, Believe it!"

He stumbled after her once she sped off, charging the bandit head on. The man smirked and threw his weapon, it twisted around the blond girls body, trapping her. But that didn't stop her, instead she pushed on even harder.

"You're always so reckless!" Sasuke shouted.

Easily swinging himself around the girl, he caught the taller man with the heel of his foot. He fell in a heap at their feet, unconscious from that one hit. "Hehe, alright let's go!" the blond detangled herself, grinning ear to ear. The Uchiha sighed, there was just no arguing with the girl. "If one was just taking a break here, than the others might be close by. They'll catch us before we can meet up with Kakashi sensei. It'd be faster if we just make this guy tell us where Sakura is. But if we're serious about going after them, then we have to work on our teamwork. We can't fall out of step with each other. You hear me?"

His companion shuttered, "Yeah… but first I still gotta pee." Another sigh escaped from him. "…me too…"

Although Naruko didn't want to embarrass him anymore than he already was, she couldn't stop the large grin from forming on her whiskered face. "Friends that pee together stay together!"

"… You're such an idiot…"

* * *

><p>"What do you mean Shiguro still hasn't reported back yet?" Jacko stared down at the youngest of their band, the kid was small and weak compared to the rest of them. He couldn't handle his stare, let alone his presence.<p>

One of his men on his left spoke up. "You know, I wonder…"

"You're wondering right!" Sakura looked up to the cliff side, her swollen eye watering at the sight of Sasuke and Naruko. A lone tree stood between them as they gave Jacko and his men confident smirks.

Naruko puffed out her chest and pointed at herself with her thumb. "That's right! We're back and free at last!"

"Only a feudal lord's sister would own a statue like that. And that's exactly what pulled us apart!" the boy lifted a deformed sad looking teddy bear. Their leader sweated in nervousness, knowing he and his men stood no chance against a couple of shinobi's, kids or not.

"We'll make you an offer, we'll give this back in exchange for our teammate!"

"Refuse and I'll pulverize every one of you!" Naruko threw in her threat, stepping forward with her fist raised.

Jacko was about to take them up on their offer, that was before he noticed their unseen hands were hidden from them. The tree between them blocked their connected hands. He smirked "If your actually separated than come on down here!" the two's eyes flickered to each other. This little movement just confirmed his suspicion. "I knew it, their hands are still fused together. There's nothing to fear, get'em!" his men brandished their weapons, and lunged at them.

The black haired boy sighed, he seemed to be doing that a lot today. "They called our bluff Naruko!" His teammate grinned, ready for their next move.

Using his strength, Sasuke swung the girl around off her feet and she kicked the closest man out of the way. His partner laughed at being tossed around like a rag doll. Another attacker appeared on their left and hit the statue out of his hand, sending it flying through the air. The statue was more important to the bandits than the two handicapped shinobi, so they raced after it.

"Naruko!" he called

"Yep!" she confirmed, running back on the boulder they were on. The Uchiha stood in place, than using the elasticity of the blue goop, they were launched in the direction of Jacko's last two men. Landing on one and knocking him out, they were quick to use the element of surprise and take out the other. From afar the leader pulled up his sleeve.

Seeing his move before he could do it, both genin dodged large balls of blue globes. They were hard and left large craters into the ground around them, so this time he wasn't planning on making them stuck. Sasuke reached into his pocket and tossed his ninja wire's, it wrapped itself around his arm and pulled him towards them. With close-quarter combat he didn't stand a chance, and jumped backwards. A golden glimmer in the corner of his eye made the man look off to the side.

The statue was seated on a lone boulder, just sitting there waiting. Naruko had seen the greedy gleam in his eyes and the two pesky ninja were already standing behind it. "Don't even think about it! We still got one more move for you!" Jacko was angry, completely and utterly at his wits end, especially with these ninja always getting in his way. He jumped from his perch from the cliff, aiming his wrist at the two.

"Here's our combination attack!" they slingshot the statue into Jacko's face as he sped towards them. A loud ringing 'ding' and the man was laid out on the ground unconscious.

After handing the bandits over to the authorities, team 7 were finally together. Kakashi held the statue up to the setting sunlight. Jacko's face imprint was clear for all to see, but if the jonin had to be honest? It might actually be an improvement to what it used to look like.

"Well, maybe they can melt it down and remake it? Then again… that's a pretty big maybe."

"~Oh Sasuke~ Thank you!" Sakura praised the stoic boy, hugging his non-Naruko arm. While the other girl pulled and tugged at the now brown hard ball that kept them together. "Come on Kakashi! Can't you do something?! I have things to do and he's just going to be getting in the way!"

The rosette girl laid a hand on her hip and said with a soft smile. "That thief guy already told you, it'll crumble away on its own in a few days."

Sasuke shared the blondes efforts in trying to pull away from the ball. "I can't put up with her that long! She's so loud and annoying!"

Throwing her hands-and Sasuke's-in the air, she gave up. "Fine! I can wait. But we're staying at _my_ apartment! I'd feel a lot more comfortable there!"

"What? That should be my line. Also, my apartment's clean and doesn't smell like ramen all the time. We're staying at mine." They argued, back and forth, only stopping when Sakura interjected with her soft giggling.

An evil glint sparkled in the Uzumaki girls eye. "Hey Sakura! why don't we all go out to eat? I say Ichiraku's!" Sasuke's eyes snapped to her, knowing exactly what she was trying to do… what a conniving girl.

"OhMyGod Yes!"

Kakashi smiled behind his mask, the three of them together like this was adorable. He wondered how long the Uchiha can last before he went completely nuts… he'd give him until midnight tonight.

_**~~In the next chapter~~**_

"SASUKE?! NO WAY! IS THAT YOU!?" Naruko pointed at the finely dressed Uchiha. His face twisted into an annoyed scowl, the long white rabbit ears atop his head twitched as well. He looked down at his pocket watch, expression souring even more. "Is this why you stopped me? Che, I'm late as it is..."

A cloud of smoke burst at his feet, engulfing the rest of him. The girl waved her hand around, coughing into her fist. Once the blooms of smoke cleared, there stood, in his two foot heighted glory was a small white rabbit, little red eyes narrowed, cute little nose twitching, his whiskers were long against his rounded bunny face, and to top off the entire image, the absolute cherry on top, he wore a tux!

Having no restraint, the girl tackled him.

**~REVIEW And have a MERRY CHRISTMAS! ….. especially you Natalia ^^ please have the merriest.**


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